Clinical and radiologic correlations of small and large centrum ovale infarcts.
BACKGROUND
Acute centrum ovale (CO) infarction confined to the territory of perforating long medullary arteries is rarely reported. This study was designed to investigate the full spectrum of clinical findings, topography, and pathogenesis of patients with acute CO infarct.


METHODS
A total of 64 patients with CO infarct were recorded. Risk factors such as age, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hypercholesterolemia, smoking, and cardiopathy were recorded.


RESULTS
The average age of the patients was 64.2 years. There were 46 patients (71.8%) in large-infarct group and 18 patients (28.1%) in small-infarct group. The most frequent risk factor was hypertension (89.1%). Other risk factors included smoking (39%), diabetes mellitus (29.7%), hyperlipidemia (28.1%), transient ischemic attack (15%), carotid stenosis (9%), atrial fibrillation (21%), other potential cardiac source of embolism (39%), and myocardial infarct (4%). The main clinical feature was faciobrachiocrural paralysis associated dysarthria (51.6%). Other clinical characteristics were facial, upper and lower extremity paralysis with sensorial deficits and/or dysarthria (26.6%), hemiparesis including face (12.5%), and either facial and upper or upper and lower extremity paralysis with hemisensorial deficit (9.4%). The baseline Barthel index was found to be less than 50 in 22 patients (34.4%) and greater than 50 in 42 patients (65.6%) for the entire group whereas 72% of patients were independent at discharge.


CONCLUSIONS
In this article, risk factors, clinical spectrum, and features of CO infarcts were correlated in a large patient group. The majority of CO infarcts were large and had a poorer outcome compared to previous reports.
Beckmann
Yesim Y
YY
Department of Neurology, Atatürk Research and Training Hospital, İzmir, Turkey. Electronic address: ybeckmann@gmail.com.
Duraklı
Meltem
M
Department of Neurology, Atatürk Research and Training Hospital, İzmir, Turkey.
Seçil
Yaprak
Y
Department of Neurology, Atatürk Research and Training Hospital, İzmir, Turkey.
Çelebisoy
Mehmet
M
Department of Neurology, Atatürk Research and Training Hospital, İzmir, Turkey.
Başoğlu
Mustafa
M
Department of Neurology, Atatürk Research and Training Hospital, İzmir, Turkey.
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002533:Cerebral Angiography; D002536:Cerebral Arteries / Q000473:pathology; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000473:pathology; D002544:Cerebral Infarction / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology*; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D018810:Magnetic Resonance Angiography; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008526:Medulla Oblongata / Q000473:pathology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010243:Paralysis / Q000209:etiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D020521:Stroke / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed