Mechanical Clot Removal

Neuro-interventionalists with SSM Health Neurosciences offer a state-of-the-art, minimally invasive alternative to stroke treatment using tPA, a medication that can be used to break up a blood clot causing a stroke.

What Happens During Mechanical Clot Removal

A procedure called mechanical clot retrieval allows specially trained physicians to advance a tiny catheter from the femoral artery to the site of the stroke-causing blood clot, grab it and remove it from the body. Blood flow resumes immediately, and the effects of the stroke are minimized. This procedure expands the window of opportunity to successfully treat a stroke by several hours beyond that of tPA treatment.

The retrieval technology is performed using sophisticated biplane brain imaging technology that allows the physician to guide the catheter in real time to the blockage. The retriever features a tiny corkscrew-shaped device that works by wrapping around the clot and trapping it. Once secured, the physician pulls the clot down the catheter and removes it.