Nonseptic cardiogenic cerebral embolic stroke: clinical-CT correlations

We studied 35 patients with nonseptic cardiogenic cerebral emboli. In 28 cases, there was sudden onset with maximal neurologic deficit within 1 hour; in 7 cases, there was progression in 24 hours. In six cases, neurologic abnormality worsened in the first week after an initial period of stabilization. CT showed evidence of a cerebral infarct in all cases; in nine cases, this was hemorrhagic. There was more than one lesion in six cases. In four of the six cases with delayed neurologic deterioration, later CT showed increased mass effect or recent hemorrhage within the infarct.