Obtaining regulatory approval for multicentre randomised controlled trials: experiences in the STICH II trial.

Background And Purpose: Centres wishing to participate in international multicentre randomised controlled surgical trials such as STICH II (Surgical Trial in Lobar Intracerebral Haemorrhage) have to go through a number of regulatory hurdles. These depend on the nature of the study. In surgical studies, there is a need to obtain ethical approval and individual hospital approval including fully executing contracts between the host organisation and each institution.