Investigating Early Neurologic Deterioration in Lacunar Strokes Reveals Need for New Approaches.

Lacunar stroke is a common subtype of stroke, comprising 20%–25% of ischemic strokes, linking a number of clinical syndromes to occlusion of a single perforating artery (40–900 μm in diameter) resulting from vasculopathy characterized by lipohyalinosis, arteriolosclerosis, and microatheroma. Hypertension is the leading cause, along with atherosclerosis and other stroke risk factors.1-3 Lacunes may be described as small deep cerebral infarcts, 3–17 mm in maximum diameter, located in cerebral hemisphere and brainstem regions supplied by perforating arteries.4 The term lacune stems from the French literature in the 19th century to describe, based on anatomical examination, small cavities with liquefaction necrosis.