Cerebral blood flows in the acute and chronic stages of cerebral infarction.

Regional cerebral blood flows (rCBFs) were studied in the acute and the chronic stages of 8 patients with supratentorial cerebral infarction. In 2 patients with cardioembolic infarction, the rCBF increased in one patient and decreased in the other during the chronic stage. This decrease was explained by the risk factors of the latter patient because the patient had more risk factors than the former patient with increased rCBF. In 6 patients with lacunar infarction, the rCBF increased in 2 patients and decreased in 4 during the chronic stage. In all the patients with decreased rCBF, the number of lacunar infarction and/or the degree of leuko-araiosis on MRI increased during the chronic stage. Therefore, the decrease in rCBF during the chronic stage in lacunar infarction is considered to be due to the increase in the number of lacunar infarction, the increased degree of leuko-araiosis or both.