[Comparative clinico-radiological study of lacunar infarcts of the cerebral hemispheres and brain stem in 110 cases].
BACKGROUND
Lacunar infarcts (LI) are small deep infarcts due to occlusion of perforating branches.


OBJECTIVE
Our objective was to outline the clinical and epidemiological characteristics which differentiate hemispherical lacunar infarcts (HLI) from those of the brain stem (SLI).


METHODS
We present 110 cases of LI (80 HLI, 30 SLI) analysing risk factors, clinical syndromes, findings on neurological examination (dysarthria, gravity, distribution and proportional paresia), form of clinical presentation, evolution whilst in hospital, site and results of carotid duplex. Diagnosis was made in 72 patients using magnetic resonance (MR) and in 38 patients using computerized axial tomography (CT).


RESULTS
The commonest characteristics of SLI, as compared with HLI, with statistical significance (p < 0.05) was the appearance of supranuclear facial paresia (OR = 2.68), severe motor involvement (OR = 4.23), form of presentation with previous TIA (OR = 6.33), fluctuating evolution of the symptoms (OR = 5.78) and progression of the paresia (OR = 6.41). Also, in the pontine LI there was significant correlation between site and gravity: the lower the site of the lesion, the more serious was the paresia. Patients with multiple LI presented with no previous risk factors significantly more frequently than those with a single LI.


CONCLUSIONS
The different clinical profiles may help to establish the subgroups of IL, according to where they occur.
Rojo-Sebastián
A
A
Unidad de Patología Cerebrovascular, Hospital Clinico San Carlos, Madrid, España.
González-Gutiérrez
J L
JL
Egido-Herrero
J A
JA
Fernández-Pérez
C
C
D001933:Brain Stem / Q000098:blood supply / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology*; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000098:blood supply / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology*; D002544:Cerebral Infarction / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D004401:Dysarthria / Q000209:etiology; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D011596:Psychomotor Disorders / Q000209:etiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
Estudio clinicorradiológico comparativo entre infartos lacunares hemisféricos y de tronco cerebral en 110 casos.