Mechanical thrombectomy
Removing a clot before brain tissue is lost.
Mechanical thrombectomy removes a blood clot from inside a blood vessel through a pinhole opening. In stroke it is the treatment for a blocked blood vessel in the brain; in the leg it is used for extensive deep vein thrombosis and acutely blocked arteries.
What patients call it
Clot removal from a blood vessel
At a glance
- What it does
- Removing a clot before brain tissue is lost.
- Used for
- Acute ischemic stroke · Deep vein thrombosis with extensive clot · Sudden arterial blockage in a limb
- How it is done
- Imaging confirms a clot blocking a brain artery (Clot shown). → A stent retriever is navigated and opened within the clot. → The retriever captures the clot.
- Recovery
- Procedure: Day 0 - Clot removed; monitored in ICU. · Day 1-3: Discharged from ICU; brain reperfused.
Used for
- — Acute ischemic stroke
- — Deep vein thrombosis with extensive clot
- — Sudden arterial blockage in a limb
Symptoms & Causes
Symptoms
- — Sudden numbness or weakness in the face, arm or leg
- — Sudden confusion or trouble speaking
- — Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
- — Sudden trouble walking or loss of balance
- — Sudden severe headache
Common Causes
- — Blood clot traveling from the heart (atrial fibrillation)
- — Blood clot forming on a plaque in the brain artery
- — Carotid artery disease
Diagnosis & Treatment
How it is diagnosed
- — CT scan of the brain
- — CT angiography (CTA)
- — CT perfusion scan
- — MRI scan
The Procedure
- — Rapid access to the brain vessel via groin or wrist.
- — Navigating a catheter to the site of the clot.
- — Using a stent retriever or suction to remove the clot.
- — Immediate restoration of blood flow.
Recovery & Benefits
- Procedure: Day 0 - Clot removed; monitored in ICU.
- Day 1-3: Discharged from ICU; brain reperfused.
- 1 Month: Early rehabilitation and follow-up.
- 3 Months: Long-term recovery and stroke prevention.
Procedure sequence
- 01
Imaging confirms a clot blocking a brain artery (Clot shown).
- 02
A stent retriever is navigated and opened within the clot.
- 03
The retriever captures the clot.
- 04
The clot is safely removed from the brain.
- 05
Restored blood flow is confirmed on angiography.
Questions patients ask
How soon must thrombectomy be done after a stroke?+
The earlier the better. Selected patients benefit up to 24 hours from symptom onset, but recovery is consistently better when treatment starts within the first few hours.