Cerebral microbleeds is a predictor of recurrent small vessel cerebrovascular disease: Evaluation based on the recurrent stroke pattern

Abstract

ObjectivesAn increased number of cerebral microbleeds (CMBs) is considered a predictive factor for recurrent small vessel cerebrovascular diseases, including lacunar infarction and non-lobar intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). However, it is unclear which recurrent stroke pattern is mainly reflected in the number of CMBs. Materials and MethodsThis study enrolled 217 patients with their first stroke (148 deep lacunar infarctions and 69 non-lobar ICHs), between January 2009 and March 2015. The numbers of baseline and newly appearing CMBs in patients with recurrent stroke were compared with those in patients with non-recurrent stroke, and the dynamics of the number of CMBs was evaluated according to recurrent stroke patterns. ResultsFifty-nine patients with recurrent stroke were included in this study. A larger number of baseline and newly appearing CMBs was significantly associated with recurrent stroke (p = 0.04, p < 0.001, respectively). Recurrent stroke patterns were divided into four types: deep lacunar infarction/deep lacunar infarction (37 patients), deep lacunar infarction/non-lobar ICH (eight patients), non-lobar ICH/deep lacunar infarction (eight patients), and non-lobar ICH/non-lobar ICH (six patients). The number of newly appearing CMBs was significantly higher in patients with deep lacunar infarction/non-lobar ICH than in those with other recurrent stroke patterns (p = 0.04). ConclusionsThe number of CMBs is associated with recurrent stroke, including deep lacunar infarction and non-lobar ICH, and differs depending on the recurrent stroke patterns. The increase in the number of CMBs was strongly correlated with the deep lacunar infarction/non-lobar ICH recurrence pattern.