hrombus formation after plaque rupture is the cause of vessel occlusion in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and early, complete revascularization can salvage myocardium at risk and improve survival. 1 Primary angioplasty and stent implantation are important therapeutic options 2,3 and are associated with a higher reperfusion rate than pharmacological therapy alone. 4 However, these procedures can involve mobilization of thrombus and atheroma elements, causing distal embolization, the no-reflow phenomenon and impairment of the microcirculation, which reduce the clinical benefit of primary angioplasty. [5][6][7][8][9][10] The recent development of many kinds of thrombectomy device has made it possible to aspirate and remove intracoronary thrombotic material.The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of pretreatment by thrombectomy on myocardial salvage after stent implantation in patients with AMI.