Expanding the treatment window with mechanical thrombectomy in acute ischemic stroke.
BACKGROUND
Acute ischemic stroke is a common disease associated with high mortality and significant long-term disability. Treatment options for acute ischemic stroke continue to evolve and include pharmaceutical and mechanical therapies. With the recent US Food and Drug Administration approval of a new device for mechanical thrombectomy, the options available for treatment of acute ischemic stroke have been expanded. Thrombolytic therapy is generally given intravenously in the first 3 h and up to 6 h via the intraarterial route for pharmacological clot disruption. The maximum time-frame for mechanical thrombectomy devices has yet to be determined.


METHODS
A 78-year-old female presented to the emergency room with a dense right hemiparesis, leftward gaze preference and dense global aphasia. Eight hours after symptom onset, left carotid angiography confirmed a left internal carotid artery terminus occlusion. A single pass was made through the clot with an X6 Merci Retriever device.


RESULTS
After a single pass, the vessel was reopened and normal flow in the left internal carotid artery was demonstrated. At the time of discharge, her neurological deficits had improved significantly. Furthermore, the final infarct area, as demonstrated on magnetic resonance imaging, was probably much smaller than it would have been if the vessel had not been recanalized.


CONCLUSIONS
We report the use of a new mechanical thrombectomy device 8 h after onset of ischemic symptoms, with substantial subsequent improvement in neurological outcome. In selected cases, use of the Merci Retriever can result in improved outcomes beyond the traditional 6-h window used for intraarterial pharmacological thrombolysis.
Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN 55905, USA. layton.kennith@mayo.edu
Kennith F
KF
Layton
J Bradley
JB
White
Harry J
HJ
Cloft
David F
DF
Kallmes
Edward M
EM
Manno
D000368:Aged; D020520:Brain Infarction / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020767:Intracranial Thrombosis / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D017131:Thrombectomy / Q000295:instrumentation*; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome