Catheter for accessing the vasculature including the neurovasculature, and methods of use

A method for removing an obstruction from a blood vessel using a catheter, the method comprising:

• advancing a distal braided section of an elongated tube in a collapsed state through a blood vessel to the obstruction;
• expanding the distal braided section using an actuator tube to cause a plurality of struts of an actuation wire to expand radially outward to transition the distal braided section to an expanded state within the blood vessel, wherein each one of the plurality of struts is affixed about a circumference of a distal end of the distal braided section;
• removing the actuator tube from the elongated tube;
• positioning an intermediate tube into the distal braided section while in the expanded state to reinforce the distal braided section for removal of the obstruction;
• applying suction within the elongated tube while the intermediate tube is positioned within the distal braided section to remove the obstruction from the blood vessel;
• translating the intermediate tube relative to the distal braided section to move the intermediate tube away from the distal end of the distal braided section;
• re-introducing the actuator tube into the elongated tube;
• collapsing the distal braided section using the actuator tube to cause the plurality of struts of the actuation wire to collapse radially inward to transition the distal braided section to the collapsed state within the blood vessel;
• and
• removing the catheter from a subject in the collapsed state.