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Updated: May 29, 2026
10:25
Brain Infarct Segmentation and Registration on MRI or CT for Lesion-symptom Mapping
Published on: September 25, 2019
Determinants of infarction patterns in cardioembolic stroke
Young Dae Kim1, Hyun Jung Hong, Myoung Jin Cha
1Department of Neurology, Severance Hospital Integrative Research Institute for Cerebral and Cardiovascular Diseases, Seoul, Korea.
European Neurology
|August 31, 2011
Summary
Cardiac embolism can cause varied stroke patterns. Antiplatelet use and white blood cell counts correlate with specific lesion types, suggesting platelet function and inflammation impact thrombus formation in the heart.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Cardiology
- Hematology
Background:
- Embolic strokes from the heart can manifest as multiple scattered or single large lesions.
- Factors influencing these distinct infarction patterns in patients with potential cardiac sources of embolism (PCSE) are not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the factors associated with different ischemic stroke infarction patterns in patients with high-risk potential cardiac sources of embolism.
Main Methods:
- Diffusion-weighted imaging was used to analyze infarction patterns in 388 ischemic stroke patients with high-risk PCSE.
- Infarction patterns were classified into single large, single small, confluent and additional, or small scattered lesions.
- Relationships between infarction patterns and clinical/hematologic parameters were examined.
Main Results:
- Single large lesions occurred in 35.8%, single small in 7.5%, confluent and additional in 44.1%, and small scattered lesions in 12.7% of patients.
- Antiplatelet use was linked to small scattered lesions; anticoagulant use was linked to single small lesions.
- Higher white blood cell counts correlated with confluent and additional lesions; PCSE type did not influence pattern.
Conclusions:
- Platelet function and inflammatory processes may directly influence thrombus formation within cardiac chambers.
- These findings highlight potential therapeutic targets for preventing specific stroke patterns in at-risk individuals.
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