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After a person suffers a stroke, the clock starts ticking for doctors. Every minute that blood flow to the brain remains blocked, more brain tissue risks permanent damage or death. One way to restore circulation is through endovascular thrombectomy, a minimally invasive procedure that can physically remove the clot, restore blood flow and significantly reduce the risk of long-term disability or death. Such mechanical thrombectomy procedures are a standard emergency treatment within the first 24 hours of an acute ischemic stroke.

A recent study investigated a question that has long lingered in doctors' minds: Could thrombectomy still save brain tissue beyond this 24-hour window if scans showed that parts of the brain, although starved of oxygen and blood, had not yet suffered irreversible damage?

The LATE-MT trial identified adult patients across 35 stroke centers in China who had suffered an ischemic stroke caused by a major blocked blood vessel. One group underwent mechanical thrombectomy between 24 and 72 hours after symptoms began alongside medication, while the other only received standard stroke medications.

The researchers found that patients who received thrombectomy had significantly better overall functional recovery. About 49% of treated patients were able to live independently at 90 days, compared with 35% of those who received medication alone. The findings are published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

In endovascular thrombectomy, doctors guide a thin device through the blood vessels to reach the blocked artery and physically remove the clot.

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