Thrombectomy for Acute Stroke

Mechanical thrombectomy is the most important advance in acute stroke treatment in the past decade, enabling interventional neuroradiologists and vascular neurologists to physically remove the clot occluding a large brain artery using catheter-based techniques, restoring blood flow and salvaging at-risk brain tissue (penumbra) that would otherwise be irreversibly destroyed within hours. For patients with large vessel occlusion strokes — which account for the most severe disability outcomes — thrombectomy reduces the probability of death or severe dependence by approximately 50% compared to medical therapy alone.

At SilverOak Health, the stroke pathway activates simultaneously with the first ambulance call, enabling direct transfer to the CT angiography suite for rapid imaging assessment on arrival. For patients confirmed to have large vessel occlusion on CT angiography or perfusion imaging, the interventional team is pre-alerted and the procedure commences within 30–60 minutes of hospital arrival — door-to-reperfusion times that are among the best in the region. The procedure is performed via femoral or radial arterial access under local anaesthesia or conscious sedation, with the microcatheter advanced through the aorta and cerebral vasculature to the site of occlusion under fluoroscopic guidance.

Successful recanalization — restoration of normal blood flow — is achieved in over 85% of our procedures using modern aspiration catheters and stent retrievers. Following the procedure, patients are monitored in our dedicated stroke unit with neurological observations, blood pressure management, and early rehabilitation commencing within 24 hours. The combination of intravenous thrombolysis (where eligible) and thrombectomy — bridging therapy — provides the highest recanalization rates and the best functional outcomes for qualifying patients.