Rapid intracranial clot removal with a new device: the alligator retriever.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Despite availability of an approved drug to treat acute cerebral ischemia, most patients with stroke do not realize a good outcome. A method that would rapidly increase or restore cerebral perfusion before irreversible cell death should improve patient outcomes. MATERIALS AND METHODS We recently had the opportunity to treat 6 middle-aged-to-elderly patients who presented with signs and symptoms of acute cerebral ischemia, by mechanically removing their (predominantly) middle cerebral artery clots by using a new retrieval device that had been previously approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for intravascular retrieval of foreign bodies. During a 2-month period, the 6 patients were treated in 5 separate institutions. No patient had an unsuccessful attempt at clot removal. The cases were collected by personal communication with each operator. RESULTS In all instances, use of the device resulted in rapid clot removal. Each patient had a large improvement in National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score. Two of the 6 patients had experienced failure of another clot retrieval device, and 3 patients required no systemic thrombolytics, reducing the likelihood of one of the most feared complications of stroke therapy, intracranial hemorrhage. SUMMARY We believe that use of this device may result in improved outcomes for patients with acute ischemic stroke. In our limited experience, it provided a rapid, safe, and effective means for achieving revascularization.