Clinical and Radiologic Features of Symptomatic Single Small Deep Cerebral Infarction

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Small deep cerebral infarct can be associated with small-vessel occlusive disease, largevessel disease, low-flow or thrombo-embolic mechanism. This study is designed to investigate ralationship between symptomatic single small deep infarcts ahd vascular diseases. METHODS: We studied 154 patients who had symptomatic, small-sized(<20 mm), single, subcortical infarction(basal ganglia, corona rediata, centrum semiovale) who were admitted to our hospital from jund, 1996 to September, 1999. They were evaluated about the lesion site and vascular status of the carotid system and middle cerebral artery, using MRI, MRA and cervical duplex sonography or conventional angiography. RESULTS: Among 154 patients with single small deep infarction, 100 were related with small artery disease(64.9%), 38 with middle cerebral artery disease(26.7%) and 16 with carotid artery disease(10.4%). The basal ganglia or basal ganglia with corona radiata area were more frequently responsible lesion sites in both small artery disease(n=59, 59%) and middle cerebral artery disese(n=28, 73.7%) than in carotid artery disease(n=1, 6.3%). The centrum ovale or centrum ovale with corona radiata area were frequently involved lesion sites in carotid artery disease (n=10, 67.5%). CONCLUSION: Single small deep infarcts of th basal ganglia with corona radiata were mostly seen in the middle cerebral artery disease or small artery disease, and small deep infarcts of the centrum semiovale with corona radiata were usually assoicated with internal carotid artery disease. In occurrence of single small deep infarcts, middle cerebral artery disease was more frequent than carotid artery disease, which might be associated with intracranial occlusive disease known to be more common in Asians than in Caucasians.