What is a cerebral infarction?

Written by Wang Li Bing

Intensive Care Medicine Department

Updated on March 25, 2025

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Brain infarction is also relatively common in clinical practice, mainly seen in elderly people, generally accompanied by underlying diseases such as hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes. Brain infarction is primarily caused by the blockage of cerebral blood vessels, leading to necrosis of brain tissue due to ischemia and hypoxia. After a brain infarction occurs, patients should seek medical attention in a timely manner and be admitted to the department of neurology or neurosurgery for systematic drug treatment. If the infarction area is large or a brain herniation has formed, surgical intervention should be considered, such as decompressive craniectomy and lowering intracranial pressure.

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Do lacunar infarcts fear getting angry?

Lacunar stroke is caused by the occlusion of some small blood vessels in our skull due to pathological changes in the vessel walls after long-term hypertension, diabetes, or other diseases. Therefore, it usually stems from underlying conditions. Although getting angry may trigger a lacunar stroke, it's important to manage emotions as well. However, for lacunar stroke itself, the primary underlying causes are still hypertension, diabetes, and other risk factors. Thus, regardless of the situation, it's essential to avoid sudden and intense emotional changes, as such changes could potentially trigger a lacunar stroke.

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What foods should not be eaten in the case of a cerebral infarction?

Stroke refers to the necrosis of brain tissue, causing a series of neurological functional deficit symptoms. The dietary requirements for stroke must be determined comprehensively based on the patient's own condition and underlying diseases. For instance, common risk factors for stroke include hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and elevated homocysteine levels, along with unhealthy habits such as smoking and drinking. If the patient has hypertension, a light diet should be emphasized. If they have hyperlipidemia, fatty foods should be avoided in favor of a low-fat diet. In cases of high homocysteine levels, it is advisable to consume foods rich in vitamins. Additionally, if the patient has diabetes, they must adhere to a diabetic and low-sugar diet. Therefore, what food can be consumed depends on the patient's underlying diseases and the symptoms of the stroke. If the patient has swallowing difficulties, care must be taken to avoid hard foods as this could lead to choking and potentially cause a lung infection. Thus, the patient's individual condition must be taken into account when deciding their diet.

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Neurology

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Cerebral infarction X-ray manifestations

Brain infarction generally does not involve X-rays because X-rays primarily target bone issues, not brain tissue issues. If a brain infarction occurs, a cranial CT or MRI can be performed. In acute cases of sudden onset, a cranial CT is primarily used to exclude cerebral hemorrhage, as brain infarction typically does not show up in the acute phase. However, in cases of extensive brain infarction, changes might also appear on a CT during the acute phase. Additionally, after the acute phase, about 1 day or 24 hours later, brain infarctions generally appear as low-density shadows on a CT. On an MRI, in diffusion imaging, brain infarctions generally appear as high-density, high-signal areas, while they appear as low-signal areas in T1 imaging and high-signal areas in T2 imaging. It is also suggested to perform cranial magnetic resonance angiography to examine the status of the blood vessels.

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Neurology

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How is lacunar infarction treated?

Lacunar stroke is a type of cerebral stroke characterized by lesions smaller than 1.5 cm in diameter. Often, these can be discovered incidentally on a CT or MRI scan in asymptomatic patients. In such cases, it's important to evaluate whether the patient has risk factors such as hypertension or diabetes, and consider the patient's age, smoking, and drinking habits. Further assessments with cranial MRI angiography or other vascular imaging are recommended to clarify the state of the blood vessels and guide treatment. Additionally, some patients may experience an acute onset with symptoms like slurred speech or limb weakness. Although these symptoms might be mild, it is crucial to seek prompt medical attention to assess the blood vessels and guide further treatment based on the physician's physical examination of the patient.

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Can lacunar infarction recur?

Lacunar stroke is a common disease in clinical practice, mainly caused by the blockage of capillaries in the brain, leading to the necrosis of some brain cells. Lacunar strokes often occur in middle-aged and elderly people over the age of 50. The main causes of lacunar stroke are hyperlipidemia and abnormal blood components, such as high blood sugar, high blood lipids, and high blood viscosity. At the same time, there is concurrent cerebral arteriosclerosis. The occurrence of lacunar stroke indicates that the degree of arterial sclerosis has reached a certain level, hence the recurrence rate of lacunar stroke in clinical practice is relatively high. Once a lacunar stroke occurs, it is recommended that patients take statins to lower blood lipids and medications like aspirin to prevent cerebral vascular blockage, to prevent further incidents.