Fig. 1

Initial CT and angiographic series of a stroke patient and experimental set-up of clot scans. a–d Examinations of a 47-year-old woman with AIS. a Initial non-enhanced cerebral CT image in axial view with hyperdense artery sign in the right middle cerebral artery (white arrow). b Initial cerebral CT angiography in axial view with stop of contrast agent in the right middle cerebral artery in the M1 segment where the thrombus is located (white arrow). c, d Angiographic series of the patient in frontal view before (c) and after (d) mechanical thrombectomy. e Three examples of different formalin-fixed thrombi after thrombectomy. f Two thrombi inside the phantom model (black arrows). AIS, Acute ischemic stroke; CT, Computed tomography