First and foremost, the principal acknowledgement is to the patients taking part in the trial, now and in the future. Second, to the funders to date (HTA programme and BUPA Foundation), to the UK Stroke Association, to all the UK and international collaborators, our office staff, the Steering and Data Monitoring Committees as well as to the trial Endpoint Review and Technical Management Committees. We also acknowledge the support of the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Oxford Biomedical Research Centre Programme. Finally, to the CTSU and Epidemiological Studies Unit, the Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK, and the Nuffield Department of Surgery, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK, for their invaluable support.
Alison Halliday and Richard Bulbulia, together with Richard Peto, Hongchao Pan (Statistical Co-principal Investigators) and Leo Bonati (Neurological Co-principal Investigator) are responsible for the design, conduct and analysis of ACST-2.
Contributions of authors
Richard Bulbulia (Co-principal Investigator and Consultant Vascular Surgeon) and Alison Halliday (Chief Investigator and Professor of Vascular Surgery) coauthored this report.
Publications
Rudarakanchana N, Dialynas M, Halliday A. Asymptomatic Carotid Surgery Trial-2 (ACST-2): rationale for a randomised clinical trial comparing carotid endarterectomy with carotid artery stenting in patients with asymptomatic carotid artery stenosis. Eur J Vas Endovasc Surg 2009;38:239–42.
Halliday A, Harrison M, Hayter E, Kong X, Mansfield A, Marro J, et al. 10-year stroke prevention after successful carotid endarterectomy for asymptomatic stenosis (ACST-1): a multicentre randomised trial. Lancet 2010;376:1074–84.
Rudarakanchana N, Halliday A, Kamugasha D, Grant R, Waton S, Horrocks M, et al. Current practice of carotid endarterectomy in the UK. Br J Surg 2012;99:209–16.
Bulbulia R, Halliday A. ACST-2 – A large, simple randomised trial to compare carotid endarterectomy versus carotid artery stenting to prevent stroke in asymptomatic patients. An update. Gefässchirurgie 2013;18:626–32.
den Hartog AG, Halliday A, Hayter E, Pan H, Kong X, Moll FL, de Borst GJ. Risk of stroke from new carotid artery occlusion in the Asymptomatic Carotid Surgery Trial-1. Stroke 2013;44:1652–9.
Halliday A, Bulbulia R, Gray W, Naughten A, den Hartog A, et al. and the ACST-2 Collaborative Group. Status update and interim results from the Asymptomatic Carotid Surgery Trial-2 (ACST-2). Eur J Vasc Endovasc Surg 2013;46:510–18.
Data sharing statement
The ACST-2 data will be held in accordance with the Nuffield Department of Population Health Data Access and Sharing Policy.17 We have agreed to pool ACST-2 data with other similar trials under the auspices of the CSTC.
Disclaimers
This report presents independent research funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). The views and opinions expressed by authors in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the NHS, the NIHR, NETSCC, the HTA programme or the Department of Health. If there are verbatim quotations included in this publication the views and opinions expressed by the interviewees are those of the interviewees and do not necessarily reflect those of the authors, those of the NHS, the NIHR, NETSCC, the HTA programme or the Department of Health.
