Objective To examine the nonhuman primate (NHP) model of acute cerebral infarction thrombus?thrombolysis using multi?parameter high?field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Methods Altogether, 8 adult male rhesus monkeys aged 8.2 ( ± 1.2) years old and weighing 9.4 ( ± 1.0) kg were randomized into an infarction group (n =4) and thrombolysis group (n = 4). Middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) was induced with a clot in the M1 segment. Monkeys in the thrombolysis group were treated with the recombinant tissue plasminogen activator, rt?PA, while those in the infarction group were treated with 0.9% NaCl only. T2 weighted imaging (T2WI), T2?weighted?fluid?attenuated inversion recovery (T2?FLAIR), time?of?flight magnetic resonance angiography (TOF?MRA), and diffusion?weighted imaging (DWI) were used to examine all monkeys at 4 and 24 h after onset of ischemia. Results The rhesus monkey thrombus?thrombolysis model was successfully established. MRA showed that the middle cerebral artery (MCA) was not recanalized in the infarction group, but was recanalized in the thrombolysis group. T2WI sequence showed an increase in infarction volume (12 027 ±5507 mm³ ) in the infarction group compared with the thrombolysis group (4910 ± 2764 mm³ ). DWI sequence showed an increase in infarction volume (9498 ± 5226 mm³ ) in the infarction group and thrombolysis group (4854 ± 1792 mm³ ). Both T2WI and DWI sequences showed no significant difference in infarction volume at 4 h between the two groups, while infarction volume in the thrombolysis group at 24 h was significantly lower compared with the infarction group. The increase in infarction volume was significantly lower in the thrombolysis group compared with the infarction group. Conclusions MRI sequences can be used to successfully evaluate recanalization.