Presented by
Franz Bozsak
Nominated by
CNRS
Acute Ischemic stroke (AIS) is the leading cause of long-term disability in the world affecting over 13 million people each year. Mechanical thrombectomy has recently been established as a revolutionary treatment for about a third of these patients. Physicians now have a variety of specialized medical devices at their disposal allowing to mechanically remove the blood clot blocking the brain artery and causing the stroke. The biological composition of the blood clot influences the mechanical properties of the clot ranging from hard and sticky (white) clots to soft and brittle (red) clots. These properties can have a major impact on the retrievability of the clot with a chosen device. Unfortunately, physicians have no tool today to determine the clot type upfront and know, which device will be the most effective to remove the clot. They are thus limited to a trial and error process baring grave risks for the patient.