CT diagnosis of lacunae

Lacuna, a special small infarction in deep regions of the brain, is difficult to diagnose clinically. Of 182 stroke patients receiving CT scanning, 23 were diagnosed as having lacuna. 34 foci found on CT were distributed in the internal capsule, basal ganglia, thalamus and pons, with diameters varying from 3 to 22 mm. Combined CT and clinical findings showed that motor hemiplegia was present in 12 patients, pure sensory stroke in 1, sensory-motor stroke in 9, and the lock-in syndrome in 1.20 (87%) of the 23 patients partly or completely fulfilled the criteria for the lacuna syndrome. The detection of lacunae depends on the property of instrument, the method of scanning, and the thickness of slice. By showing some minor infarctions, CT has offered the possibility of diagnosis of lacunae.