Mechanical thrombectomy for acute ischemic stroke in pregnancy using the penumbra system

Even though intravenous thrombolysis with tissue plasminogen activator (IV tPA) is the standard of care in acute ischemic stroke, its use in pregnancy is not clearly defined. Mechanical thrombectomy devices can be an option; however, literature on the use of such mechanical devices in stroke in pregnancy is lacking. Here we describe two cases that developed acute embolic stroke during pregnancy who were successfully treated by mechanical clot retrieval using the Penumbra system 28 (Penumbra Inc., Alameda, California, USA). To the best of our knowledge, these are the only case reports on the use of the Penumbra device in pregnant patients with acute ischemic stroke.