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Mechanical Thrombectomy in Beijing

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Short answer

Mechanical thrombectomy removes a large-vessel clot in acute ischemic stroke through a catheter — one of the most effective emergency treatments in medicine, but only within hours of onset. It is relevant for patients already in China; it is never a reason to fly.

What it is

A catheter is threaded from the groin or wrist to the blocked brain artery and the clot is pulled out, restoring blood flow. In large-vessel strokes treated in time, it dramatically improves outcomes.

The hard limit: time

Thrombectomy generally must happen within hours of stroke onset (up to 24 hours in selected patients with favorable imaging). That is why acute stroke is always treated locally — this page exists for completeness and for patients already in China.

In Beijing

Beijing Tiantan and Xuanwu hospitals run 24/7 stroke intervention teams and are national leaders in cerebrovascular care. For international patients, their real value is usually post-stroke: cause-finding, prevention procedures (e.g. carotid stenting) and recovery planning.

Mechanical Thrombectomy — where it's done & what to read next

Recommended hospitals

Beijing Tiantan Hospital
24/7 national stroke intervention center
Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University
Leading cerebrovascular intervention program

Departments

Neurosurgery at Beijing Tiantan Hospital
Tiantan's neurosurgery department is China's national center and one of the largest in the world, operating on more brain tumors than almost any hospital anywhere — with full sub-specialty teams for gliomas, skull-base tumors, vascular disease and functional disorders.
Neurology & Functional Neurosurgery at Xuanwu Hospital
Xuanwu Hospital pairs one of China's strongest neurology departments with Asia's leading functional neurosurgery program — the go-to combination for Parkinson's disease, movement disorders and cerebrovascular disease.

Related conditions

Stroke
A stroke happens when blood flow to part of the brain is blocked or a vessel bleeds; emergency treatment must happen locally, but after stabilization many international patients come to Beijing for cause-finding workups, second opinions and recovery planning. Beijing Tiantan and Xuanwu hospitals are China's leading neurology centers, with MRI/MRA workups from about $320.

Mechanical Thrombectomy — frequently asked questions

Can I fly to Beijing for a thrombectomy?

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No — thrombectomy only works within hours of stroke onset, so it must happen at your nearest capable hospital. Beijing's role for international patients is after stabilization: finding the cause, preventing the next stroke, and planning recovery.

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