Distal mechanical thrombectomy for very eloquent M3 branches with a new, adjustable diameter clot retriever: A technical note

Abstract

Distal thrombectomy may be considered in selected patients harboring acute occlusion of distal arterial branches, supplying very eloquent brain areas. In these cases navigation and deployment in tortuous, fragile and very small-caliber arteries is usually involved, potentially increasing the risk of per-procedural vessel wall perforation. We report a case of distal recanalization in a right-handed, fourty-year-old woman with left M3 occlusion, with the use of a novel device with manually adapted, gradual expansion, navigated through a 0.013-inch microcatheter, called the Tigertriever-13 [RapidMedical, Yokneam, Israel]. The device was deployed and retrieved with minimal alteration-straightening of the M3 vessels and complete recanalization was achieved. The patient achieved NIHSS 0 in less than 24 h.