title: Long-term prognosis of patients with large subcortical infarctions.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We assessed the long-term prognosis of patients with large subcortical infarctions (LSCI).
  
  
  METHODS
  We defined LSCI as lesions > or =15 mm confined to deep penetrating arteries without a cardioembolic or atherothrombotic source. Patients with acute ischemic strokes were consecutively registered and followed for 751 +/- 441 days. The clinical characteristics and long-term prognoses of patients with LSCI were compared to those of patients with lacunar (LACI), atherothrombotic (ATI) and cardioembolic infarctions (CEI).
  
  
  RESULTS
  At discharge from the hospital, the proportion of good outcomes (modified Rankin Scale < or =2) for patients with LSCI (52.1%) was similar to that for ATIs (47.2%), but worse than that for LACIs (73.2%). After a 3-year follow-up period, the mortality rates from LSCI, LACIs, ATIs and CEIs were 8.4, 8.2, 22.3 and 41.1%, respectively; the recurrence rates were 9.3, 14.1, 16.6 and 23.8%, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The short-term prognosis of functional outcomes for LSCI was worse than that for LACIs, but similar to acute-phase ATI outcomes. The long-term prognosis after a LSCI is good, and recurrence tends to be lower than for LACIs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Institute of Neurological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Tottori University, Yonago, Japan. sutou@med.tottori-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Yutaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Suto
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nakayasu
authors.forename: Masanobu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maeda
authors.forename: Masayoshi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kusumi
authors.forename: Hisanori
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kowa
authors.forename: Etsuko
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Awaki
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Saito
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nakashima
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002544:Cerebral Infarction / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018579:Patient Selection; D011379:Prognosis; D012008:Recurrence; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome