Refinement of a thrombectomy technique to treat acute ischemic stroke: Technical note on microcatheter advance during retrieving self expandable stent

Temporary stenting and thrombectomy by use of the Solitaire stent (ev3, Irvine, CA, USA) has shown prompt and successful recanalization of the acutely occluded major cerebral artery. However, even if rarely reported, inadvertent stent detachment may occur as an innate drawback and full deployment of the stent was considered to increase the risk. In our patients, the Solitaire stent did not fully unfold to prevent inadvertent detachment. Before retrieval of the stent, the tip of the microcatheter was advanced forward carefully under fluoroscopic observation until it met the presumed thrombus segment and a subtle sense of resistance was felt in the fingers guiding the stent. After retrieval, complete recanalization was achieved, and the thrombus was trapped between the tip of the microcatheter and the stent strut. We present 2 cases of successful thrombi captures by advancing a microcatheter during Solitaire stent retrieval, and we suggest that advancing the microcatheter can be a useful refinement to the thrombectomy technique for acute ischemic stroke