When an ischemic stroke strikes, the time between onset and treatment is critical to saving lives and preventing permanent disability. Before stroke treatments like Penumbra, the critical time window for treating a stroke was three hours. Penumbra can be used to treat a stroke up to eight hours after it begins.
What is the Penumbra Stroke System?
The Penumbra Stroke System uses aspiration and catheterization techniques to rapidly restore blood flow in the brain and limit damage caused by stroke.
How does Penumbra work?
Penumbra is delivered into the brain using a catheter inserted through a small puncture in the groin. Using x-ray guidance, the device is maneuvered through the blood vessels of the body to the site of the clot in the brain. A separator is advanced and retracted through the catheter to dislodge the clot and a suction device grabs the clot for removal.
Other treatments and technologies include
Merci Clot Retrieval Device.
What is the Penumbra Imaging Collaborative Study?
The NeuroTexas Institute is one of 50 centers participating in the Penumbra Imaging Collaborative Study (PICS). The purpose of this study will be to collect data on "real world" experiences with the Penumbra System. The study will be used to see if the images of the brain at admission can predict the outcome of treatment of a stroke with the Penumbra System.
Penumbra is a treatment option for people who have suffered a moderate to severe ischemic stroke (a stroke that occurs as a result of an obstruction in a blood vessel). Penumbra may be used when treatment with tissue plasminogen activator, or tPA (an intravenous clot-busting drug), is not recommended or in conjunction with tPA to achieve a higher efficacy. Penumbra can be used up to eight hours from the onset of stroke symptoms. The use of Penumbra also depends on the size and accessibility of the clot and the initial severity of the stroke.
For more information about NeuroTexas Institute neurovascular program,
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