CURRENT STATUS OF PERCUTANEOUS MECHANICAL THROMBECTOMY - PART II - DEVICES AND MECHANISMS OF ACTION

PERCUTANEOUS mechanical thrombectomy (PMT) refers to the use of mechan ical energy to clear thrombus percutaneously with use of any combinati on of mechanical dissolution, fragmentation, and aspiration. In the pr eceding part of this three-part review, we introduced the basic princi ples of this heterogeneous group of devices and techniques (1). In thi s second part, a classification scheme for PMT devices is proposed, an d the pertinent cumulative literature on these devices is reviewed, wi th emphasis on design, mechanism of action, experimental and clinical efficacy, and potential complications.