Stroke neurologist Dr Jason Vuong awarded $100,000 scholarship to study treatment of moderate-sized stroke

Ischaemic stroke, which is when a blood clot blocks an artery leading to the brain, is the third leading cause of death in Australia.  

Clot extraction as a treatment option has made significant advancements in the past decade with patients with large strokes. However, it is unclear if the same applies to patients with moderate-sized debilitating strokes. 

This is where stroke neurologist Dr Jason Vuong is looking to change things for the better. 

Dr Vuong has been awarded a scholarship by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) of more than $100,000 for the next two years to study whether clot extraction in patients with moderate-sized strokes will improve recovery and reduce disability.  

What exactly is an ischaemic stroke?  

It’s when a blockage cuts off the blood supply to part of the brain, killing brain cells.  

Large-scale randomised control trials over the past decade have revolutionised hyperacute stroke treatment, which is treatment of stroke within the first few hours, with clot extraction or thrombectomy.   

However, the optimal treatment option for patients with moderate-sized strokes, medically known as medium-vessel occlusions (MeVOs), remains unclear as few of these patients were included in the thrombectomy trials.  

The current recommended clinical practice limits the treatment of moderate-sized strokes to the dissolving of a blood clot, known as thrombolysis, due to conflicting data from observational studies and small-scale trials for thrombectomy in these patients.  

“There is great potential to restructure the management recommendations of patients with ischaemic stroke secondary to MeVOs by assessing the clinical outcomes for thrombectomy compared to current standard treatment, which is thrombolysis via Alteplase or Tenecteplase medications. 

“This doctoral work will begin with a retrospective analysis of patient outcomes who have presented to a tertiary stroke service with a MeVO to create a predictive model of stroke location and clinical outcomes based upon vessel blockage location,” Dr Vuong says. 

He adds that this model will subsequently be applied to prospective data from a multi-centre international randomised controlled trial to assess the primary hypothesis that clinical outcomes from treatment with thrombectomy in MeVOs will be superior to standard treatment.  

“Assuming better outcomes for thrombectomy, broader engagement of consumers around Australia will be sought with the assistance of the Stroke Foundation to implement changes to current best medical practice,” Dr Vuong says.  

The scholarship will take him to the end of his PhD through Monash University, supervised by Head of Neuroscience Research Professor Thanh Phan, Director of Neurology and Stroke Professor Henry Ma, and Monash University’s Associate Professor Richard Beare. 

“My project and subsequent scholarship for the project wouldn’t have been possible without the neurology unit’s extensive clinical research background and support,” he says.  

Congratulations to Dr Vuong on being awarded such a prestigious scholarship, and we wish you all the best in your research to provide better care for our patients. 

Stay up to date with stories and the latest from the world of research; subscribe to the Monash Health quarterly newsletter, Research Matters here.