Risk factors and clinical manifestations of pathologically verified lacunar infarctions

Review of 2,859 autopsy reports disclosed lacunar infarction in 169 patients (6%). Review of the charts of 167 of these patients revealed hypertension in 64%, diabetes in 34%, smoking in 46%, and no known risk factor for cerebrovascular disease in 18%. As many as 81% of the patients with lacunes were asymptomatic. Symptomatic lacunes presented most commonly as pure motor hemiparesis (31%), aphasia plus right hemiparesis (20%), or sensorimotor dysfunction (11%); none presented as pure sensory stroke. These results suggest that the spectrum of lacunar infarction is more heterogeneous than previously thought. Most lacunar are asymptomatic, and the majority of symptomatic patients do not present with 'classical' lacunar syndromes.