Greetings.

Infarct means loss of blood supply. The lacunar infarcts occur only in the deeper part of the brain which is termed as brain stem and basal ganglia is a part of the the brain stem. The lacunar infarcts are caused by occlusion of deep penetrating branches (also called as tertiary division) of major brain/cerebral arteries and are particularly common in high blood pressure and diabetes.

The lacunar infarcts can present with the stroke. If they were found in an incidental examination, they would be considered as risk factor for the stroke. So meticulous management by the medications, control of existing disease, obesity and other risk factors are done. Age, vascular risk factors, high nocturnal blood pressure, and severity of cerebral small-vessel disease have significant prognostic implications for outcomes.

Please feel free for your follow up questions.

Dr. Arun