Researchers link brain artery widening to lacunar stroke and small vessel disease
Updated
Updated · Medical News Today · May 9
Researchers link brain artery widening to lacunar stroke and small vessel disease
10 articles · Updated · Medical News Today · May 9
In Edinburgh patients recruited from 2018 to 2021, MRI changes in small brain arteries made lacunar stroke four times more likely, while over a quarter had silent strokes within a year.
The study found narrowing of large arteries was not associated with lacunar stroke or cerebral small vessel disease markers, suggesting standard antiplatelet-led prevention may be less effective for this stroke subtype.
Researchers say treatment should target microvascular damage and vessel function; the UK-wide LACI-3 trial is recruiting 1,300 patients at 38 centres to test cilostazol and isosorbide mononitrate.
If a common stroke is caused by 'baggy' arteries, not blockages, how can we now protect our brains?
Can a simple eye scan now predict your future risk of stroke and dementia before any symptoms appear?
Redefining Lacunar Stroke: Dolichoectasia Identified as Major Cause, Challenging Decades-Old Assumptions
Overview
Recent research has sparked a major shift in how lacunar stroke is understood. For years, experts believed fatty blockages in large arteries were the main cause. However, new studies reveal that dolichoectasia—widening and elongation of brain arteries—is a key factor. This finding challenges old beliefs and shows that stenosis (narrowing) and dolichoectasia (widening) are distinct processes. Recognizing dolichoectasia as a primary cause changes how doctors diagnose and treat lacunar stroke, opening the door to new prevention and treatment strategies that focus on artery structure rather than just blockages.