"The NIH Stroke Scale has shown to be robust in its predictive ability regarding the effects of an individual's stroke and the response the patient will have to therapy. It's used by clinics worldwide."

"Thirty years ago, there was no treatment for stroke patients," said Harold Adams Jr., MD ('74 R) professor of neurology and director of the Division of Cerebrovascular Disorders. "Now, drugs like Plavix and Agranox are standard therapies for the treatment of stroke. Both of these therapies were tested and approved through clinical trials."

Brain imageAdams has been organizing and supporting clinical trials on stroke intervention for more than 25 years. He can attest that they can be very labor intensive as the staff members and physicians involved strive for accuracy and observe rules set forth by government organizations, while managing the health care of thousands of patients. In addition, many clinical trials are started from basic science research. This creates an extra challenge since it is sometimes difficult to translate bench research to people.

"In the initial phase of the trial, a physician may work with 40-50 patients. If the first phase is successful, the trial moves on to phase II which can involve anywhere from 1,500 to 20,000 patients in all parts of the world," said Adams. "The trials can sometimes take years to complete and keeping track of the patients can be difficult."

Adams has had several successful clinical trials. His research was instrumental in creating the NIH Stroke Scale. The scale is used as standard measure to determine the severity of stroke. "It has shown to be robust in its predictive ability regarding the effects of an individual's stroke and the response the patient will have to therapy. It's used by clinics worldwide," explained Adams.

He also was involved in TOAST (Trial of Org. 10172 in Acute Stroke Treatment), which was conducted in the mid-1990s. The trial tested coagulation in patients with acute ischemic stroke.

"The trial's success was an important contribution to the classifications of the causes of stroke. The result allows us to use clinical brain imaging in diagnostic studies to determine the cause of a stroke," said Adams. "This is used almost as widely as the stroke scale."

Adams added that clinical trials are so important for the College, UI Hospitals and Clinics and the community because they bring the latest therapies and treatments to patients more quickly. "It also can teach us about what doesn't work. Occasionally, trials have shown that a current therapy doesn't actually improve the outcome for a patient, and it's important to know that too," he said.