New devices successfully pluck blood clots out of the brain

By Thomas H. Maugh II Los Angeles Times August 28, 2012, 11:29 a.m.

Since tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 1996 for the dissolution of blood clots in the brain that cause strokes, it has been the primary treatment for stroke victims. But it has several limitations. In most cases, it must be used within three hours after the stroke to be effective, although in some cases the crucial window can be extended to 4.5 hours. It is also often not effective in dissolving larger blood clots.

On 2004, the FDA approved the first mechanical system for removing clots from the brain, the Merci Retrieval System. In this approach, a corkscrew-like wire is threaded through the vascular system from the groin to the brain, where the wire is screwed into the clot. When the retriever is removed, it takes the clot with it. The device can be used after the initial three-hour window and with larger clots, but surgeons have concluded that it still leaves much to be desired. Read More