Purpose: To correlate the location of large subcortical infarcts with the site of cerebrovascular occlusive disease.
Methods: We examined CT and angiographic findings of 38 patients with major arterial occlusive disease and newly developed large subcortical infarcts of 2.0 cm or more, which were classified into three types: striatocapsular infarcts in the basal ganglia, terminal supply area infarcts in the corona radiata, and terminal supply area infarcts in the centrum semiovale.
Results: Two or three of the types of infarct were sometimes combined; the combination of the striatocapsular and corona radiata infarcts was the most frequent (14 [36.8%] of 38). Thirty-four (89.5%) had atherosclerotic major arterial occlusive diseases; 22 (57.9%) had occlusive diseases of the internal carotid artery, and 12 (31.6%) had diseases of the middle cerebral artery. The other 4 (10.5%) had embolic transient middle cerebral artery occlusion. Middle cerebral artery occlusive diseases frequently produced striatocapsular (13 [81.3%] of 16) and corona radiata (13 [81.3%] of 16) infarcts but never induced the centrum semiovale lesions. On the other hand, in patients with internal carotid artery occlusive disease, the centrum semiovale (16 [72.7%] of 22) was more susceptible to ischemia than the striatocapsular region (11 [50%] of 22) or the corona radiata (9 [40.9%] of 22).
Conclusions: Middle cerebral artery occlusive diseases frequently produced striatocapsular and/or corona radiata infarcts but never induced the centrum semiovale lesions, which were usually associated with internal carotid artery occlusive diseases.