Prevention of vascular complications following cerebral ischemia of arterial origin; the ESPRIT trial: mild anticoagulant therapy, combination treatment with acetylsalicylic acid plus dipyridamole or treatment with acetylsalicylic acid alone?.

The European and Australian Stroke Prevention in Reversible Ischaemia Trial (ESPRIT) is a randomised clinical trial in which patients with cerebral ischaemia of arterial origin will be randomised between oral anticoagulation (international normalized ratio (INR): 2.0-3.0), the combination of acetylsalicylic acid (in any dose between 30 and 325 mg per day) plus dipyridamole (400 mg daily) and acetylsalicylic acid only (in any dose between 30 and 325 mg per day). It is planned to enroll 4500 patients with a mean follow-up of three years. Primary outcome is the composite event of vascular death, stroke, myocardial infarction, or major bleeding complication; outcome assessment will be blinded. ESPRIT is an international, multicentre study in which 60-80 hospitals in the Netherlands and other countries in Europe and Australia will participate.