PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Kerber, C.W.
AU  - Wanke, I.
AU  - Bernard, J.
AU  - Woo, H.H.
AU  - Liu, M.W.
AU  - Nelson, P.K.
TI  - Rapid Intracranial Clot Removal with a New Device: The Alligator Retriever
DP  - 2007 May 01
TA  - American Journal of Neuroradiology
PG  - 860--863
VI  - 28
IP  - 5
4099  - http://www.ajnr.org/content/28/5/860.short
4100  - http://www.ajnr.org/content/28/5/860.full
SO  - Am. J. Neuroradiol.2007 May 01; 28
AB  - 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.