Background: Pathologic investigations showed that lacunar infarction could develop in the deep cerebellar region. However, the etiology of small deep cerebellar ischemic lesions (SDCI) has not been adequately studied. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between SDCI and small-vessel disease.
Methods: We studied 100 consecutive patients who had both (1) acute ischemic stroke (index stroke) confirmed by diffusion-weighted MRI and (2) evidence of a chronic small cerebellar ischemic lesion (<15 mm). Small-vessel-related MRI findings, risk factors and subtype of index stroke were compared between the patients with SDCI and those with small cortical cerebellar ischemic lesions (SCCI).
Results: Eighty patients had SCCI, and 20 patients had SDCI. Cardioembolic sources (38.8 vs. 5%, p = 0.003) and vertebrobasilar artery stenosis (61.3 vs. 35%, p = 0.034) were more frequent in patients with SCCI. In a multivariate model including traditional risk factors, patients with SDCI had significantly more lacunar infarcts (odds ratio, 1.18; 95% confidence interval, 1.02-1.37) and cerebral microbleeds (odds ratio, 10.92; 95% confidence interval, 2.16-55.32) than those with SCCI. Patients with SDCI frequently had the small-artery disease subtype of index stroke (odds ratio, 5.84; 95% confidence interval, 1.71-19.9).
Conclusions: The results suggest that SDCI are frequently associated with small-vessel disease.
Copyright (c) 2009 S. Karger AG, Basel.