Lakeridge Health adds advanced stroke imaging at Ajax Pickering and Oshawa hospitals

Lakeridge Health says its stroke teams are using CT Perfusion with RapidAI at Ajax Pickering and Oshawa hospitals. CT Perfusion is a specialized scan that shows blood flow through the brain, while RapidAI uses artificial intelligence to analyze the images.

The hospital system says the images help physicians see which areas of the brain may be damaged and which may still be saved with treatment. The new technology is intended to help guide clot-busting medication that Lakeridge Health already administers in appropriate acute-stroke cases.

For some patients, treatment may involve physically removing a clot. Lakeridge Health says the additional imaging can help identify patients who may benefit from transfer to a specialized stroke centre in Toronto.

Lakeridge Health Chief of Staff Dr. Randy Wax said local access can let some care begin closer to home while keeping patients connected to specialized stroke centres when they need them.

Lorel Morrison, program director of diagnostic imaging and lab at Lakeridge Health, said the tool gives clinical teams more information to support safe treatment decisions. The hospital says the launch builds on its July introduction of an orthopedic robotics platform at Ajax Pickering Hospital and advances its 2026–2031 strategic-plan priority on innovation and technology for better care.

Source: Lakeridge Health — https://www.lh.ca/news-and-stories/posts/first-in-durham-region-new-technology-advances-life-saving-stroke-care