Background: Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) accounts for 16-19% of all strokes in Western Europe and contributes profoundly to mortality and disability. Thirty-day case fatality is 40% and of those surviving, only few gain independence. Except for stroke unit care and possibly early blood pressure lowering, there is currently no treatment of proven benefit. Surgical treatment has so far not been proven effective. In the largest trials STICH I and II, and MISTIE III, the median time to treatment was more than 24 hours, which may be an important explanation for the lack of a treatment effect. A recent meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials showed that surgical treatment may be beneficial, in particular with minimally invasive procedures and when performed early. In the Dutch ICH Surgery pilot study, we showed that early minimally invasive endoscopy-guided surgical treatment performed within 8 hours of symptom onset in patients with supratentorial ICH is safe and technically effective. We hypothesize that early minimally invasive endoscopy-guided surgery improves the outcome in patients with supratentorial spontaneous ICH.

Objectives:

1. To study whether minimally invasive endoscopy-guided surgery, in addition to standard medical management, for the treatment of spontaneous supratentorial ICH performed within 8 hours of symptom onset, improves functional outcome in comparison with standard medical management alone;
2. Determine whether patients treated with minimally invasive surgery develop less perihematomal edema on non-contrast CT at day 6 (±1 day) than controls, and whether the CT perfusion permeability surface-area product around the ICH at baseline modifies this effect (DIST-INFLAME);
3. Compare immune profiles over time in peripheral venous blood between surgically treated patients and controls (DIST-INFLAME);
4. To assess the cost-effectiveness and budget-impact of minimally invasive endoscopy-guided surgery for the treatment of spontaneous supratentorial ICH performed within 8 hours of symptom onset.

Study design: A multicenter, prospective, randomized, open, blinded endpoint clinical trial.

Study population: We aim to include 600 patients of ≥ 18 years with a spontaneous supratentorial ICH with a hematoma volume of ≥ 10 mL and a NIHSS of ≥ 2. Patients with an aneurysm, arteriovenous malformation (AVM), dural arteriovenous fistula (DAVF), or cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) as cause of their ICH will be excluded based on the admission CT-angiography. Patients with a known tumor or cavernoma will also be excluded. For DIST-INFLAME (the second and third objective), we will include 200 patients; 100 randomized to intervention and 100 randomized to standard medical management.

Intervention: Patients will be randomized (1:1) to minimally invasive endoscopy-guided surgery performed within 8 hours of symptom onset in addition to standard medical management or to standard medical management alone.

Primary study outcome: the modified Rankin scale (mRS) score at 180 days. The treatment effect will be estimated with ordinal logistic regression analysis as common odds ratio, adjusted for prespecified prognostic factors.

Secondary outcomes: mRS score at 90 and 365 days; favorable outcome (defined as a mRS 0-2 and 0-3) and all other possible dichotomizations of the mRS at 90, 180 and 365 days; NIHSS at day 6 (±1 day); death, Barthel Index, EuroQol-5D-5L, SS-QOL, iMCQ, iPCQ and iVICQ at 90, 180 and 365 days. Safety outcomes will be death within 24 hours, at 7 and at 30 days and procedure-related complications within 7 days. Technical effectiveness outcomes will be percentage volume reduction based on the baseline CT and CT at 24 hours (± 6 hours), percentage of participants with clot volume reduction ≥70%, and ≥80%, and with remaining clot volume ≤10mL, and ≤15mL, and conversion to craniotomy. In DIST-INFLAME, outcomes will include perihematomal edema at 6 days (±1 day), functional outcome at 180 days and immune and metabolomic profiles at 3 (± 12 hours) and 6 days (±1 day).

The full protocol is available at: http://dutch-ich.nl/

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Age 18 years or older;
2. NIHSS ≥ 2;
3. Supratentorial non-traumatic ICH confirmed by non-contrast CT, without a CT-angiography confirmed causative vascular lesion (e.g. aneurysm, arteriovenous malformation [AVM], dural arteriovenous fistula [DAVF], cerebral venous sinus thrombosis [CVST]), or other known underlying lesion (e.g. tumor, cavernoma);
4. Minimal hematoma volume of 10 mL;
5. Intervention can be started within 8 hours of symptom onset;
6. Written informed consent (deferred).

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Considerable pre-stroke dependency in activities of daily living, defined as a pre-stroke mRS ≥3;
2. ICH-GS score ≥11;
3. Hemorrhage due to hemorrhagic transformation of an infarct;
4. Untreated coagulation abnormalities, including INR >1.3 (point of care measurement allowed), treatment with heparin and treatment with factor Xa inhibitors. Patients on vitamin K antagonist can be included after correction of the INR, and patients on dabigatran (direct thrombin inhibitor) can be included after reversal of dabigatran with idarucizumab;
5. Moribund (e.g. coning, bilateral dilated unresponsive pupils), or progressively deteriorating clinical course with imminent death;
6. Pregnancy (note: most patients will be beyond childbearing age);
7. DIST-INFLAME sub-study: patients that use immunosuppressive or immune-modulating medication.

De-identified data may be shared with other parties to maximize the usefulness of the collected research data. Data can be requested from the principal investigators with a detailed description of the objectives and methods of the study for which the data is intended. Data will be made available for this purpose at least 18 months after the publication of the main report. Data may also be shared with non-commercial parties for scientific purposes, including individual patient meta-analyses, and with the commercial parties involved in this study as manufacturers of minimally invasive neuronavigation integrated endoscopy-guided devices. For these purposes, specific consent will be asked from the participants. In addition, specific consent will be asked for sharing of de-identified data outside of the European Union.

at least 18 months after the publication of the main report.

Written proposals will be assessed by DIST investigators for appropriateness of use, and a data sharing agreement in accordance with Dutch regulations will be put in place before data is shared.