Lacunar infarction as an embolic complication of cardiac and arch angiography

A Cacciatore1, L S Russo

  • 1Department of Internal Medicine, University of Florida Health Science Center/Jacksonville.

Stroke
|December 11, 1991
PubMed

Insights

This study presents two cases where pure motor hemiplegia, a lacunar stroke syndrome, developed during cardiac angiography, suggesting an embolic cause for lacunar infarction.

Area of Science:

  • Neurology
  • Cerebrovascular Diseases
  • Embolic Stroke

Background:

  • Lacunar infarcts are small, deep cerebral infarcts often linked to hypertension.
  • The embolic origin of lacunar infarction remains debated, lacking direct causal proof.
  • Cardiac embolization is a potential, though unproven, cause of lacunar syndromes.

Observation:

  • Two patients developed pure motor hemiplegia during cardiac or aortic arch angiography.
  • Neither patient had prior stroke or transient ischemic attack history.
  • Initial brain CT scans were normal; one later showed a lesion consistent with infarction.

Findings:

  • The presented cases suggest that emboli can precipitate lacunar stroke syndromes.
  • Pure motor hemiplegia, a classic lacunar stroke, was observed to have an embolic basis.
  • Cerebral infarction occurred in a patient undergoing arterial imaging procedures.

Implications:

  • These findings support the hypothesis that emboli can cause lacunar infarction.
  • The study highlights a potential mechanism for lacunar stroke in specific clinical contexts.
  • Further research may elucidate the role of emboli in lacunar stroke etiology.
Abstract

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