title: Determinants of infarction patterns in cardioembolic stroke.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Embolic infarctions from the heart are known to cause multiple scattered infarct lesions as well as single, large territorial infarctions. However, it remains unknown which factors contribute to these different infarction patterns in patients with potential cardiac sources of embolism (PCSE).
  
  
  METHODS
  We examined 388 ischemic stroke patients with a high-risk PCSE using diffusion-weighted imaging. Infarction patterns were categorized into a single large lesion, a single small lesion, confluent and additional lesions, or small scattered lesions. The relationships between infarction patterns and clinical and hematologic parameters were investigated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 388 patients, a single large lesion was detected in 139 (35.8%), a single small lesion in 29 (7.5%), confluent and additional lesions in 171 (44.1%), and small scattered lesions in 49 (12.7%). Prior use of antiplatelet agents and anticoagulant were associated with the pattern of small scattered lesions and a single small lesion, respectively. Additionally, higher white blood cell counts were associated with confluent and additional lesions. The type of high-risk PCSE was not related to a specific infarction pattern.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that platelet function and inflammatory processes may directly affect the thrombus formation in the cardiac chamber.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Severance Hospital Integrative Research Institute for Cerebral and Cardiovascular Diseases, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Young Dae
authors.initials: YD
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Hyun Jung
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.forename: Myoung Jin
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Cha
authors.forename: Chung Mo
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Nam
authors.forename: Hyo Suk
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Nam
authors.forename: Ji Hoe
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Heo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000150:complications; D038524:Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020766:Intracranial Embolism / Q000150:complications / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology*; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D020521:Stroke / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D055815:Young Adult