An ischemic stroke occurs when an artery carrying blood to the brain is blocked by a blood clot. There are two types of ischemic strokes:

• Thrombotic strokes are caused by a blood clot (thrombus) in an artery going to the brain, blocking blood flow. Blood clots usually form in arteries damaged by plaque, a fatty material that can build up inside blood vessels.
• Embolic strokes are caused by a traveling clot (embolus) that forms elsewhere (usually in the heart or neck arteries); it’s carried in the bloodstream and blocks a smaller blood vessel in or leading to the brain.

Within minutes of the brain being deprived of oxygen-rich blood, brain cells start to die. Left untreated, an ischemic stroke can cause serious disability including paralysis, difficulty talking or swallowing, and memory loss. It can also cause death.

That’s why a stroke is a true medical emergency, and fast treatment is essential to minimize brain damage and possible complications.

How mechanical Thrombectomy(Clot retrieval) works:

When a stroke patient arrives for treatment, the clot-busting medication called tPA is usually delivered directly to the site of the clot. After administering tPA, our stroke specialists use advanced neuro-imaging to evaluate the patient’s brain.

If tPa alone doesn’t dissolve the clot and restore blood flow, and the patient is a good candidate for mechanical thrombectomy, here’s what happens:

• Using x-ray-guided imaging, a catheter (a long, thin flexible tube) is threaded into an artery in the groin (the femoral artery) and up through the neck, until it reaches the blood clot causing the stroke
• A device called a stent retriever is inserted into the catheter to the site of the blood clot
• The stent reaches past the clot, expands to stretch the walls of the artery so blood can flow, and retrieves the clot by snaring it and pulling it backwards, completely removing it from the body and restoring blood flow

Who are the candidate of mechanical Thrombectomy:

Mechanical thrombectomy is performed in patients who have what’s called large-vessel occlusion. This means a blood clot is blocking (occluding) one of the large blood vessels—such as the carotid arteries or cerebral arteries—that supply oxygen-rich blood to the brain.

We also use advanced imaging to map which areas of the brain have an adequate blood supply. This enables us to see tissue that’s already damaged and tissue we can save by restoring blood flow. This gives us a realistic picture of how much we can help each patient by performing mechanical thrombectomy.