What does a lacunar infarct mean?
Lacunar infarct was defined as an acute stroke syndrome with a CT lesion compatible with the occlusion of a single perforating artery, consisting of a subcortical (basal ganglia, internal capsule, brainstem), small, sharply demarcated hypodense lesion with a diameter <15 mm.
What is the cause of a lacunar infarct?
As discussed in Formation of Lacunes, the cause of lacunar infarction is occlusion of a single small penetrating artery. This occlusion may be due to microatheroma and lipohyalinosis, which are associated with hypertension, smoking, and diabetes, or may result from microembolism from the heart or carotid arteries.
How do you treat lacunar infarcts?
If you have had a lacunar stroke, your doctor may recommend a daily aspirin or other blood-thinning medication, such as ticlopidine (Ticlid) or clopidogrel (Plavix). These medicines may reduce your risk, but their benefit has been more obvious for stroke types other than lacunar strokes.
How common are lacunar infarcts?
A quarter of all ischaemic strokes (a fifth of all strokes) are lacunar type. Lacunar infarcts are small infarcts (2–20 mm in diameter) in the deep cerebral white matter, basal ganglia, or pons, presumed to result from the occlusion of a single small perforating artery supplying the subcortical areas of the brain.
How do you prevent lacunar infarcts?
Exercise regularly for at least 30 minutes most days of the week. Together, these habits can help lower your risk of having a lacunar stroke. If you have high blood pressure, heart disease, or diabetes, strive to keep it under control and see your doctor regularly. Don’t smoke.
Can lacunar cause memory loss?
It was concluded that cognitive impairment after acute lacunar infarct is quite common and recent memory is the most often impaired cognitive domain. This may have been caused by the location of the specific lesion as well as by the impairment in “attention or concentration” or “abstraction and judgment”.
Is a lacunar stroke a silent stroke?
A silent lacunar infarction (SLI) is one type of silent stroke which usually shows no identifiable outward symptoms, and is thus termed “silent.” Because stroke is a clinical diagnosis (that is, it is defined by clinical symptoms), there is debate about whether SLI are considered to be strokes, even though the …
Is it possible to treat lacunar infarct?
At this time, there is no specific medical treatment for lacunar infarct. Treatment can include taking measures to prevent another from happening and physical rehabilitation. Your physician may give you intravenous or oral clot-busting medication. While in the hospital, you may need help with your heart function and breathing.
What causes lacunar infarctions in stroke?
Lacunar stroke is caused by lack of blood flow in smaller arteries that supply deep brain structures. The most important risk factor for the development of lacunar stroke is chronic high blood pressure.
What does punctate lacunar infarcts mean?
Infarct means that an area of the brain has lost its blood supply, and has died out. In your case, it is described as ‘small punctate lacunar’, this means that only a very small area of the brain which has been affected.
What is a lacunar infarct in the left basal ganglia?
Small infarcts: Lacunar infarcts occur as a result of localized decreased blood flow resulting in localized cell death. This occurs in the more central penetrating vessels of the brain affecting the brains deep structures such as the putamen (part of the basal ganglia), thalamus, caudate pons and internal capsule. …Read more.