Angioplasty and stenting for patients with symptomatic intracranial atherosclerosis: study protocol of a randomised controlled trial.

Introduction: Whether adding percutaneous transluminal angioplasty and stenting (PTAS) to background medical treatment is effective for decreasing the incidence of stroke or death in patients with symptomatic intracranial atherosclerosis (ICAS) is still controversial. We perform a randomised controlled trial to examine the effectiveness and safety of an improved PTAS procedure for patients with ICAS.

Methods And Analysis: A randomised controlled trial will be conducted in three hospitals in China.