New treatment can clear brain clots

Approved by the FDA in late December 2007....doctor's discrimination required as sometimes this is not always the best method...each patient is different...BD

WASHINGTON - It's a tiny vacuum cleaner for the brain: A new treatment for stroke victims promises to suction out clogged arteries in hopes of stopping the brain attack before it does permanent harm. "Your ability to succeed with taking the clot out depends on what's going on in the brain," he cautions.
Enter Penumbra, an option for patients who miss out on early care — it can be tried up to eight hours after a stroke strikes — or if standard TPA treatment fails.
Specialists thread a tiny tube inside a blood vessel at the groin and push it up the body and into the brain until it reaches the clog. Just like a vacuum cleaner, it sucks up the clot bit by bit to restore blood flow.