After receiving emergency, some stroke patients may be helped by surgery apart from the medical treatment. As most strokes are ischemic and occur when a blood vessel in the brain is blocked and blood flow stops, these patients can often be helped by a procedure called angioplasty during which a tiny balloon at the end of a long, thin tube is pushed through the artery to the blockage. The balloon opens the artery when it is inflated. In addition, a mesh tube may be placed inside the artery to help hold it open.

For strokes due to brain bleeding, there are several types of surgery to repair an aneurysm (balloon-formed weakened artery area). A clip may be placed across the neck of the aneurysm like a clip at the end of a balloon to strop the bleeding. A newer approach is to thread a long, thin tube through the artery that leads to the aneurysm. A tiny coil travels inside and fills space of the aneurysm balloon, it then seals off the bleeding.