Mechanical thrombolysis and clot retrieval with the MERCI device is a type of endovascular treatment for stroke. The mechanical embolus retrieval in cerebral ischemia (MERCI) device can literally "retrieve" a clot.
As in other interventional neuroradiology procedures, the MERCI device is inserted into the patient's femoral artery in the leg and passed up to the site of the blockage in the brain. The interventionist then uses the MERCI retriever to pull the clot carefully out of the blood vessel and trap it inside the device, which is then removed.