Recruiting

Embolization vs. Surgery

Sponsor:

The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston

Code:

NCT06347796

Conditions

Chronic Subdural Hematoma

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 40 - 70+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Interventions

Conventional Surgery

Middle Meningeal Artery Embolization (MMAE)

Study Details

Brief summary:

The goal of this clinical trial is to test in moderately symptomatic chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH) patients if middle meningeal artery embolization (MMAE) can be used as an alternative to conventional open surgery. The main questions it aims to answer are:

  • Compared to open conventional surgery, does MMAE reduce the need for rescue surgery or deaths?
  • What is the safety of MMAE and conventional open surgery in these patients?

Participants will be asked to:

  • Share their medical history and undergo physical examinations
  • Have blood drawn
  • Have CT scans of the head
  • Answer questionnaires
  • Undergo MMAE or conventional open surgery
  • Provide information about possible adverse events Researchers will compare participants in the MMAE group with those in the conventional open surgery group to see if there is a reduced need for rescue surgery or deaths and evaluate safety.

Conditions

Chronic Subdural Hematoma

Study ID

NCT06347796

Start date

Nov 1, 2024

Status verified date

May, 2026

Completion date

Feb, 2029

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Feb, 2029

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 40 - 70+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Age 40-90 years inclusively.
2. Per CT of the head, (one of the following): Unilateral convexity CSDH measuring at least 10 mm in thickness OR Bilateral CSDH if only one side is considered for treatment (at least 10 mm in thickness) and the contralateral side is asymptomatic and < 10 mm in thickness.
3. CSDH at least 2/3 isodense or hypodense, verified on axial CT slice used to measure the thickness of the qualifying CSDH.
4. Qualifying baseline head CT performed within the 7 days prior to randomization.
5. Able to undergo assigned treatment within 72 hours after randomization.
6. Patient or legally authorized representative agrees to be randomized, and provides written informed consent and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) authorization.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Secondary cause apart from trauma for the qualifying SDH, such as an underlying vascular abnormality or tumor.
2. Tentorial or interhemispheric SDH.
3. Secondary to CSDH, MRC of 0, 1, 2, or 3 in any muscle group contralateral to the side of the CSDH 4.
4. Pre CSDH mRS of 5 or higher.
5. Secondary to CSDH, patient is unable to complete TUG (i.e.,TUG > 120 seconds, unable to walk, or tries TUG but quits in ≤ 120 seconds). Note: This criterion does not apply if the patient does not complete TUG for reason other than CSDH.
6. Secondary to CSDH, ASR of 0, 1, or 2.
7. Emergent surgical evacuation such as open craniotomy, burr hole drainage, or Subdural Evacuating Port System (SEPS) is required for the patient.
8. Unable to withhold all antiplatelet agents or OACs for the first 7 days after randomization.
9. Indication that withdrawal of care will be implemented for the qualifying SDH.
10. Prior surgical treatment for CSDH if the surgery is less than 30 days prior to randomization.
11. On tranexamic acid.
12. Platelet count of <100,000 per microliter refractory to transfusion.
13. Coagulopathy that cannot be corrected to an INR of ≤1.5.
14. Known contraindications to angiography.
15. Known intolerance to occlusion procedures.
16. Known vascular anatomy (small artery size) or blood flow (high vascular resistance peripheral to the feeding arteries) that precludes catheter placement or embolic agent (Embosphere Microspheres or CONTOUR particles) injection.
17. Known presence of collateral vessel pathways potentially endangering normal territories or cranial nerves during embolization.
18. Known large diameter arteriovenous shunt, i.e., where the blood does not pass through an arterial/capillary/venous transition but directly from an artery to a vein or presence of patent extra-to-intracranial anastomoses (where study embolization devices could pass directly into the internal carotid artery, vertebral artery, or intracranial vasculature) that cannot be addressed with coil embolization.
19. Patient has a known active systemic infection or sepsis.
20. Patient is pregnant, planning to become pregnant, or lactating.
21. Life expectancy of less than 6 months due to comorbid terminal conditions.
22. Concurrent participation in another research protocol for investigation of an experimental therapy.
23. Known or suspected to not be able to comply with the study protocol.
24. For unilateral CSDH, no measurable deficit secondary to the CSDH on the Timed Up and Go \[TUG\], Aphasia Severity Rating \[ASR\], or MRC. At baseline, a measurable deficit on the TUG is defined as: time ≥10 seconds. At baseline, a measurable deficit on the ASR is defined as: a score ≤4. At baseline, a measurable deficit on the MRC is defined as: a score < 5 in any muscle group contralateral to the site of the CSDH.
25. For bilateral CSDH, no measurable deficit secondary to the treatment-eligible CSDH on the ASR or MRC. At baseline, a measurable deficit on the ASR is defined as: a score ≤4. At baseline, a measurable deficit on the MRC is defined as: a score < 5 in any muscle group contralateral to the treatment-eligibile CSDH side.

Study Design

Enrollment

520 participants

Anticipated

Allocation

Randomized

Intervention Model

Parallel Assignment

Primary purpose

Treatment

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

experimental: Middle Menningeal Artery Embolization (MMAE)

active comparator: Conventional Surgery (Craniotomy or Burr Holes)

Interventions

Conventional Surgery

Conventional surgery is surgical drainage through burr holes or craniotomy.

Middle Meningeal Artery Embolization (MMAE)

Particle embolization of the middle meningeal artery with micron variants of the Embosphere Microspheres or CONTOUR Embolization Particles device.

Primary outcome measure

  • Need for Rescue Surgery or Death [ Time Frame: Within 180-210 days of randomization ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Locations

Mayo Clinic Arizona

Recruiting

Phoenix, Arizona, United States, 85054

Principal Investigator:

Bernard Bendok, MD

Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville

Recruiting

Jacksonville, Florida, United States, 32207

Principal Investigator:

Ricardo Hanel, MD

University of Miami Miller School of Medicine

Recruiting

Miami, Florida, United States, 33136

Principal Investigator:

Robert Starke, MD

University of South Florida

Recruiting

Tampa, Florida, United States, 33617

Principal Investigator:

Maxim Mokin, MD

Emory University

Recruiting

Atlanta, Georgia, United States, 30322

Principal Investigator:

Jonathan Grossberg

University of Kansas Medical Center

Recruiting

Kansas City, Kansas, United States, 61660

Principal Investigator:

Koji Ebersole, MD

Massachusetts General Hospital

Recruiting

Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02114

Principal Investigator:

Christopher Stapleton, MD

Brigham and Women's Hospital

Recruiting

Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02115

Principal Investigator:

Nirav Patel, MD

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Recruiting

Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02215

Principal Investigator:

Philip Taussky, MD

University of Missouri Healthcare

Recruiting

Columbia, Missouri, United States, 65212

Principal Investigator:

Steven Carr

Washington University, St. Louis

Recruiting

St Louis, Missouri, United States, 63110

Principal Investigator:

Joshua Osbun, MD

Cooper University Hospital

Recruiting

Camden, New Jersey, United States, 08103

Principal Investigator:

Daniel Tonetti, MD

JFK Neuroscience Institute, JFK University Medical Center

Recruiting

Edison, New Jersey, United States, 08820

Principal Investigator:

Brian Jankowitz, MD

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

Recruiting

Newark, New Jersey, United States, 07101

Principal Investigator:

Amit Singla, MD

Ichan School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Recruiting

New York, New York, United States, 10029

Principal Investigator:

Christopher Kellner, MD

Montefiore Medical Center

Recruiting

The Bronx, New York, United States, 10467

Principal Investigator:

David Altschul, MD

Westchester Medical Center

Recruiting

Valhalla, New York, United States, 10595

Principal Investigator:

Chirag Gandhi, MD

Wake Forest University

Recruiting

Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States, 27157

Principal Investigator:

Stacey Wolfe, MD

Good Samaritan Hospital

Recruiting

Cincinnati, Ohio, United States, 45220

Principal Investigator:

Andrew Ringer, MD

University of Pennyslvania

Recruiting

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, 19104

Principal Investigator:

Jan Burkhardt, MD

Philadelphia Neurological Institute

Recruiting

Upland, Pennsylvania, United States, 19013

Principal Investigator:

Mandy Binning, MD

UT Southwestern Medical Center

Recruiting

Dallas, Texas, United States, 75390

Principal Investigator:

Babu Welch, MD

University of Texas Medical Branch

Recruiting

Galveston, Texas, United States, 77555

Contacts

Principal Investigator:

Peter Kan, MD

University of Texas Health Science Center-Houston

Recruiting

Houston, Texas, United States, 77030

Principal Investigator:

Sunil Sheth, MD

University of Texas Health Science Center-San Antonio

Recruiting

San Antonio, Texas, United States, 78229

Principal Investigator:

Justin Mascitelli, MD

University of Utah

Recruiting

Salt Lake City, Utah, United States, 84132

Principal Investigator:

Ramesh Grandhi, MD

University of Virginia

Recruiting

Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, 22903

Principal Investigator:

Andrew Carlson, MD

University of Washington

Recruiting

Seattle, Washington, United States, 98104

Principal Investigator:

Michael Levitt, MD

More Information

Sponsor

The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston

Last update posted

May 22, 2026

Last verified

May, 2026

Keywords

  • chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH)
  • middle meningeal artery embolization (MMAE)

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-08. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston on 2026-05-22.