Fig. 2.

Illustration of mechanical thrombectomy. (a) CTA of a patient with a left middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion (arrow). (b) Anterior-posterior (AP) digital subtraction angiogram (DSA) of the left internal carotid artery performed 21 min after the CTA, confirming the left MCA occlusion. (c) AP fluoroscopic view showing a suction catheter in the intracranial internal carotid artery with stent deployed through the MCA clot; below is a cartoon of the anatomy drawn to scale of the image in (c). (d) Photograph of the stent/suction catheter removed from the brain, revealing clot engaged in the stent interstices. (e) AP DSA of the left internal carotid artery, confirming complete recanalization of the left MCA. The procedure time was 35 min from groin puncture to restoration of blood flow.