The Infarct Shape Predicts Progressive Motor Deficits in Patients with Acute Lacunae-sized Infarctions in the Perforating Arterial Territory.

Objective: This study was performed to analyze the lesion patterns of lacunae-sized infarctions on diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) findings in the perforating arterial territory, and to determine whether this pattern of satellite lesions affected progressive motor defect (PMD).

Methods: Seventy-five patients with acute lacunae-sized infarctions in the perforating arterial territory (pons or territory of the lenticulostriate arteries), which was confirmed by cranial magnetic resonance image (MRI), were enrolled in this study. These patients were divided into PMD (n=30) and non-progressive motor defect (NPMD) (n=45) groups according to the dynamic scores of the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) within 7 days after stroke. The lesion patterns of lacunae-sized infarctions were divided into single oval or satellite lesions signs based on DWI. The risk factors of stroke and the clinical characteristics of all the subjects, including neurological deficits, infarction lesion patterns in image, and the condition of the basilar artery, were comparatively analyzed.

Results: The constituent ratio of satellite lesions signs [20/30 (66.7%)] in the PMD group was higher than that [10/45 (22.2%)] of the NPMD group (χ(2)= 6.1, p=0.013). Mean NIHSS scores in the PMD group on admission were higher than that of the NPMD group (4.60±1.40 vs. 3.75±1.2, t=2.81, p=0.003). A logistic regression analysis showed that the pattern of satellite lesions was associated with PMD. 〔odds ratio (OR): 3.0, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.25-7.17, p=0.014〕.

Conclusion: Satellite lesions are one of the features of lacunae-sized infarctions patterns, which might be an independent predictor in DWI findings for PMD in patients with lacunae-sized infarctions in the perforating arterial territory.