Lacunar Stroke

A Clinical Investigation

Abstract

Fifty-one patients with lacunar stroke admitted to our clinic during a period of 16 years were selected for the present study. There were 39 cases with pure motor hemiplegia, nine cases with pure sensory stroke and three cases with dysarthria clumsy hand syndrome. Hypertension was observed in 33 cases (64.7%), and diabetes mellitus in 16 cases (31.4%). Younger patients with lacunar stroke were more often hypertensive than older ones. Computerized tomography and autopsy upon cases with pure motor hemiplegia revealed responsible cerebral lesions in the basal ganglia. Majority of cases with lacunar stroke showed good recovery from neurological deficits.
Hypertension is considered to play a significant role in the pathogenesis of the lacunar stroke. The incidence of hypertension among patients with lacunar stroke in the present study, however, is much less frequent than that shown in the Fisher's series. Consequently, less often, lacunar stroke is conceivable to occur as a result of functional changes in circulation, or as a consequence of atherosclerotic involvement of penetrating arteries and larger arteries.