Innovate Healthcare: How AI changes radiologists' approach to stroke care

UC expert says strategic use of AI can augment, not replace human analysis

As artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities increase, there is sometimes concern that machine learning will replace the work done by human experts.

In the field of radiology and stroke care, however, radiologists see the progression of AI as an opportunity to bolster the work they do.

Achala Vagal, MD, vice chair of research and professor of radiology in the University of Cincinnati’s College of Medicine and a UC Health neuroradiologist, cowrote a recent editorial in the journal Radiology with Luca Saba, MD, of the University of Cagliari in Italy. Innovate Healthcare's Health Imaging, an online publication, recently highlighted the editorial, noting Vagal and Saba said that AI will not replace radiologists, but rather will "augment our intelligence and workflow."

The radiologists said AI is helpful in improving workflows, detecting issues the human eye cannot see and offering suggested decision-making support in time-sensitive triage scenarios, but AI being used as the standalone decision maker for treatments has led to medical errors. 

“It is important to understand the intended clinical use of the technology,” the doctors explained. “The best use case scenario is not autonomous AI, but rather AI partnered with human supervision.” 

Read the Innovate Healthcare article.

Read more about Dr. Vagal's current stroke recovery research.

Featured photo at top of brain scans. Photo/Ravenna Rutledge/University of Cincinnati.

Related Stories

1

Putting preschool into perspective

July 20, 2026

Preschool and childcare can be difficult to navigate for parents, as Spectrum News 1 Ohio recently reported. Waitlists are long, and factors like cost, location and transportation can limit options. According to a recent study published by The Annie E. Casey Foundation, only 41% of 3- to 4-year-olds in Ohio were enrolled in preschool between 2020 and 2024 — a 4% decrease from pre-pandemic numbers. For University of Cincinnati early childhood education faculty member Chad Nunamaker, that statistic has caveats.

2

Ticks that survive pesticides can withstand colder winters

July 17, 2026

Ticks that survive less-than-lethal doses of pesticide are able to withstand dangerous cold, which could help them expand their range farther north, according to researchers at the University of Cincinnati and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.