Mechanical thrombectomies, procedures performed with a catheter to extract the clot that blocks a cerebral artery in case of stroke, have skyrocketed in Spain in the last decade. These interventions have multiplied by four to reach 9,271 in 2025, compared to the 2,121 recorded in 2015, as explained by the interventional neuroradiologist of the Virgen del Rocío University Hospital in Seville, Alejandro González.
The specialist, who revealed these figures at the last Annual Congress of the Spanish Group of Interventional Neuroradiology (GENI), held in Bilbao, pointed out that activity has increased by 4.37 in 10 years and currently represents around 25 thrombectomies per day.
However, he warned that this expansion has slowed in the last analyzed year. Between 2024 and 2025, there was barely any variation, as it went from 9,228 to 9,271 procedures, which represents an increase of only 0.5 percent.
The "Artista" registry of the Seville-Huelva node, also presented at the GeNI Congress, also reflects that a key part of the care process has been expedited. Specifically, the interval between the puncture of the artery and the recanalization, that is, the reopening of the affected vessel, was reduced from 31 minutes in 2017-2018 to 21 minutes in 2024-2025, which means a cut of nearly one third.
Specialists emphasize that this improvement in times refers only to that specific series and cannot be extrapolated as a national average, in addition to corresponding only to one phase of the approach, and not to the complete period from the onset of the stroke. In fact, the same analysis does not show a clear global advance in the time that elapses from the appearance of the first symptoms to recanalization.
MORE RESOURCES AND BETTER ORGANIZATION
In light of these data, GeNI, the Spanish Society of Medical Radiology (SERAM), and the Spanish Society of Neuroradiology (SENR) have called for a review of access to thrombectomy, response times, and available resources, beyond just focusing on the volume of procedures.
"It is not enough to have the technology. We need every patient who can benefit to find a prepared team to treat them in time, no matter where they live. The goal is not to perform more procedures for their own sake, but to reduce the sequelae of the stroke," emphasized the interventional radiologist of SERAM, Eduardo Murias.
The scientific societies demand to reinforce the staff of interventional neuroradiology in order to ensure operational care networks 24 hours a day throughout the year. To achieve this, they insist on the need for close coordination between the Emergency, Urgency, Neurology, Radiology, Anesthesiology, and Nursing services.
They remind that, in addition to cutting minutes during the intervention itself, it is crucial to identify alarm signs beforehand, organize rapid transfers, and have well-structured hospital circuits. In line with the recommendations of the Ministry of Health, they point out the importance of immediately calling 112 in the event of a sudden appearance of difficulty speaking or understanding, mouth deviation, loss of strength or sensitivity on one side of the body, or sudden loss of vision.
MEDICAL IMAGING, "ESSENTIAL" IN STROKE
SERAM, SENR, and GeNI, coinciding with World Stroke Day, have emphasized the "essential" role of medical imaging in the management of stroke, both for diagnosis and for deciding and guiding treatment. As they highlight, these techniques not only allow knowing what is happening in the brain but also selecting the best therapeutic option and executing it.
"Medical imaging is not just a photograph of the brain. It is the information that helps us decide whom to treat and the map that guides us to the thrombus," emphasized Eduardo Murias, a specialist at the Central University Hospital of Asturias.
While computed tomography (CT) of the brain allows ruling out a hemorrhage and assessing brain damage, angio-CT shows the arteries and helps locate the exact point of the obstruction. For their part, perfusion studies or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) complete the assessment in certain patients, providing data on the brain tissue that could still be saved with treatment.
When thrombectomy is indicated in an ischemic stroke, that is, caused by a clot, the interventional neuroradiologist introduces a catheter through the arteries until reaching the thrombus. With extraction or aspiration devices and under imaging control, they attempt to eliminate the obstruction and restore blood flow without the need to open the skull.