With your support,
we are changing
the lives of those
with brain disorders

Treating the most complex cases

From preventing a stroke to urgent stroke care to ensuring patients recover to their best potential, Sunnybrook’s stroke program is changing and saving lives through research and innovation. We have special expertise in challenging and unusual cases, such as stroke in young people, stroke during pregnancy, and stroke caused by vascular diseases in the brain or at the base of the skull.

Changing how stroke is treated around the world

In 2015 Sunnybrook was one of 22 sites worldwide that proved a novel treatment reduced mortality by 50 per cent and significantly improved stroke outcomes – the most dramatic advance in emergency stroke care in two decades. By inserting a thin tube via the thigh to the brain, the clot is removed by a retrievable stent to restore blood flow. Sunnybrook is one of only seven centres in Ontario that offers the procedure 24/7. We are now collaborating on a follow-up trial where patients will receive a neuroprotective drug in the ambulance before the procedure, to see if we can further improve the functional abilities of patients after stroke.