Methods for restoring blood flow in occluded blood vessels are disclosed. The methods can include accessing an artery with a catheter system and locating an occluded zone within the artery caused by an embolus. The catheter system can include a microcatheter and a blood flow restoration device or an embolus removal device having a self-expandable member configured to be delivered through the microcatheter in a compressed configuration and to be deployed to an expanded configuration upon retraction of the microcatheter. The methods can include deploying the self-expandable member at the location of the occluded zone such that the self-expandable member engages and captures the embolus upon deployment of the self-expandable member and removing the embolus by withdrawing the blood flow restoration device or the embolus removal device.