A 'mechanical' brain operation that deploys a wire mesh to retrieve blood clots in stroke patients is to be extended across England, potentially treating 1,000 people in the next year.
Up to 24 specialist neuroscience centres will be able to carry out mechanical thrombectomies after NHS England agreed to commission the operation nationwide.
It is currently only practised at a handful of specialist centres including St George's Hospital in London.
The procedure works by inserting a catheter in an artery in the patient's groin, which is then fed through to the site of the blood clot in the brain.
A stent - a wire mesh - is then pushed through the catheter on the end of a wire until it reaches the clot. The stent then expands, catches the clot and is withdrawn through the catheter.
The operation, usually carried out with the patient under sedation rather than general anaesthetic, has an 80-90% chance of opening blocked blood vessels compared with 30% using blood-thinning drugs.
If carried out within six hours of the stroke occurring it can save lives and, by restoring blood flow to the brain, prevent disability.
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