System and method for treating ischemic stroke

1. A system for removing thromboembolic material from a blood vessel, the system comprising:

an elongate catheter proportioned for insertion into a blood vessel, the catheter having a lumen extending therethrough;

an elongate member extendable and retractable through the lumen; and

an expandable and collapsible separator element disposed at a distal end of the elongate member, the separator element comprising a proximal end, a distal end, and a body extending therebetween; the body further comprising a central lumen, a circumference, a central longitudinal axis, and a first upright disposed along the body between said proximal end and said distal end and upon said circumference; the separator element also comprising a second upright disposed on said circumference opposite from said first upright, said first upright and said second upright together constitute a first pair of uprights; said first upright comprising a first rib extending therefrom and said second upright comprising a second rib extending therefrom, wherein said first rib extends from said first upright toward said central longitudinal axis, and said second rib extends from said second upright towards said central longitudinal axis, said first rib converging with said second rib to form a first apex disposed in said central lumen of the body intermediate said proximal end and said distal end;

wherein said first upright further comprises a third rib and said second upright further comprises a fourth rib, wherein said third rib extends from said first upright and said fourth rib extends from said second upright, and said third rib converges with said fourth rib to form a second apex disposed in said central lumen; and

wherein the system further comprises a third apex formed from struts having proximal ends and distal ends wherein said struts are attached at their proximal ends to the first pair of uprights disposed on said circumference on opposite sides of said central longitudinal axis, and the distal ends of said struts converge with one another to form said third apex, wherein distal ends are unattached to said first pair of uprights and said third apex is biased away from said central longitudinal axis.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein said separator further comprises a third upright disposed upon said circumference at a point displaced approximately 90° circumferentially from said first upright, the separator further comprising a fourth upright disposed upon said circumference displaced circumferentially from said third upright, thereby forming a second pair of uprights circumferentially displaced approximately 90° from the first pair of uprights.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein said first and second apexes are adjoined to one another to define a cage disposed in the central lumen of the body intermediate said proximal end and said distal end.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein said first and said second apexes comprise apex extensions, and said first and said second apexes are adjoined to one another via the apex extensions to define a cage disposed in the central lumen of said body intermediate said proximal end and said distal end.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein one or two of said uprights extend proximally to form legs and said elongate member is attached to one or two of said legs.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein said first and second uprights are cut from a tube having sides, wherein said first and second uprights are cut in opposite sides of said tube.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein said separator comprises a set of proximal apexes and a set of distal apexes, wherein the distal apexes are circumferentially offset from the proximal apexes by ninety degrees.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein said separator comprises a series of apexes and wherein each apex is circumferentially offset by ninety degrees from an adjacent apex.