The NeuroTexas Center for Brain Aneurysm and Cerebrovascular Disease is able to provide patients with an array of open and endovascular techniques to best treat individual conditions. The endovascular thrombectomy techniques outlined below offer our patients the newest advances in stroke treatment. In the event of a stroke, the time between onset and treatment is critical to saving lives and preventing permanent disability. If you suspect you or somebody else is experiencing a stroke, call 911 as soon as possible.
During an emergency stroke our neurosurgeon will determine and perform the best form of treatment for your individual case.
Stent Retriever
They are stents that can be inserted then expanded inside the clot and by doing so locks onto the clot and the entire clot can be pulled out as one big piece. Often people with the worst strokes, those with really large blockages, either in the carotid arteries in the neck or the really large arteries just inside their skull, clot busting drugs alone do not work . These clots are simply too big for the drug to work. The stent retriever offers another effective treatment option for these individuals.
The Procedure:
- A catheter guide is inserted into the femoral artery in the groin and advanced to the brain using angiography, a medical imaging technique that allows the neurosurgeon to see inside of blood vessels.
- The stent is carefully guided into the clot.
- The stent is then expanded, locking onto the clot and the clot is pulled out.
- Further imaging is done to ensure the restoration of blood flow and vessel health.
- Catheter is removed and pressure is applied to the insertion site to stop bleeding.
- The length of hospital stay will be determined by a number of factors including time to treatment, stroke severity and general health of patient.
MERCI Clot Retriever
The MERCI, Mechanical Embolus Removal in Cerebral Ischemia is an innovative medical technology used by NeuroTexas to treat stroke. It is an endovascular technique that uses a corkscrew-like coil that removes an ischemic stroke clot. The treatment can often reverse the course of a stroke, instantly.
The Procedure:
- A balloon catheter guide is inserted into the femoral artery in the groin and advanced to the carotid artery using angiography, a medical imaging technique that allows the neurosurgeon to see inside of blood vessels.
- A micro-catheter and micro-wire are inserted into the brain beyond the clot.
- The corkscrew snares the clot.
- The balloon guide inflates to temporarily arrest forward blood flow while the clot is gently retracted and removed via suction.
- Further imaging is done to ensure the restoration of blood flow and vessel health.
- Catheter is removed and pressure is applied to the insertion site to stop bleeding.
- The length of hospital stay will be determined by a number of factors including time to treatment, severity of stroke and general health of patient.
Penumbra Stroke System
The Penumbra Stroke System is an endovascular procedure that uses aspiration and catheterization techniques to rapidly restore blood flow in the brain and limit damage caused by stroke. Penumbra is a treatment option for people who have suffered a moderate to severe ischemic stroke (a stroke that occurs as a result of an obstruction in a blood vessel). Penumbra may be used when treatment with tissue plasminogen activator, or tPA (an intravenous clot-busting drug), is not recommended or in conjunction with tPA to achieve a higher efficacy. Penumbra can be used up to eight hours from the onset of stroke symptoms. The use of Penumbra also depends on the size and accessibility of the clot and the initial severity of the stroke.
The Procedure
- A catheter guide is inserted into the femoral artery in the groin and advanced to the brain using angiography, a medical imaging technique that allows the neurosurgeon to see inside of blood vessels.
- The Penumbra device is maneuvered through the blood vessels of the body to the site of the clot in the brain.
- A separator is advanced and retracted through the catheter to dislodge the clot and a suction device grabs the clot for removal.
- Further imaging is done to ensure the restoration of blood flow and vessel health.
- Catheter is removed and pressure is applied to the insertion site to stop bleeding.
- The length of hospital stay will be determined by a number of factors including time to treatment, severity of stroke and general health of patient.
References: American Association of Neurological Surgeons, Barrow Neurological Institute, National Institute of Neurological Disease and Stroke, National Institute of Health, National Stroke Association.
