Higher severity of frontal periventricular white matter and basal ganglia hyperintensities in first-ever lacunar stroke with multiple silent lacunes.
OBJECTIVE
We investigated whether patients with a lacunar infarct (LI) syndrome exhibiting unique LI or multiple LI on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examinations differed in terms of topography and severity of white matter hyperintensities (WMH) ratings.


METHODS
Forty consecutive patients with a first-ever acute LI, who presented a lacunar syndrome according to Miller-Fisher's classification were recruited and were classified into a group presenting isolated LI on MRI (n = 17) or multiple LI (n = 23).


RESULTS
Despite equivalent demographic, clinical and cognitive characteristics, patients with multiple LI had increased ratings of WMH in frontal, occipital and subcortical regions. No significant correlations could be evidenced between the number of LI and WMH ratings.


CONCLUSIONS
Present findings provide support to previous hypothesis considering single and multiple LI MRI presentations of lacunar infarct patients as distinct entities.
Grau-Olivares
M
M
Department of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychobiology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
Arboix
A
A
Bartrés-Faz
D
D
Junqué
C
C
D000368:Aged; D001479:Basal Ganglia / Q000473:pathology*; D020520:Brain Infarction / Q000473:pathology* / Q000523:psychology; D015161:Dementia, Multi-Infarct / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009186:Myelin Sheath / Q000473:pathology*; D012008:Recurrence