Video narration
How can doctors remove a clot from the brain without opening the skull? Think of a blocked drain: flow stops because something is in the way. In a stroke, a clot can suddenly block a brain artery, cutting off blood to part of the brain. But treatment does not always mean brain surgery. Doctors can reach the blockage from inside the artery. Scans show where the clot is and whether the patient is a candidate. During stroke thrombectomy, doctors guide a thin catheter through an artery toward the blockage, not through brain tissue. At the clot, a retrieval device catches and pulls it out, or suction removes it, restoring blood flow. Thrombectomy is for selected ischemic strokes, not bleeding strokes or every clot. Speed and eligibility matter: the scans, blockage, timing, and patient all count. So how is it removed without opening the skull? A catheter reaches the clot through blood vessels, then pulls or suctions it out.