PROST represents “epitome” of scientific rigour, but future trials may follow different path

There are multiple components of the PROST randomised controlled trial’s (RCT) design that set it apart from prior studies and make it somewhat unique in the stroke thrombectomy space. At this year’s European Society of Minimally Invasive Neurological Therapy (ESMINT) congress (4–6 September, Marseille, France), Adnan Siddiqui (University of Buffalo/The Jacobs Institute, Buffalo, USA) spoke to NeuroNews to discuss these features further.

PROST was conducted to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the Preset device (Wallaby/Phenox) in acute ischaemic stroke, and saw patients randomised to be treated with either this newer stent retriever or Solitaire (Medtronic)—the current market leader in the USA.

Despite it being the first RCT seeking to provide a ‘head-to-head’ assessment of novel versus established stent-retriever technologies, Siddiqui remains unsure whether the same design is truly the optimal way forward for comparative studies of thrombectomy devices.