Correlation between the imaging manifestations of cerebellar infarction and the clinical characteristics of patients: a retrospective analysis

Abstract

Background The aim of this study was to analyze the correlation between the imaging manifestations of cerebellar infarction and the clinical characteristics of patients. Methods A total of 83 patients with acute cerebellar infarction were included in this analysis. The NIHSS score, TOAST classification, CT and MRI examinations and serum laboratory tests were performed. The statistics of the data were carried out through descriptive statistics, T test and analysis of variance. Results Hyperlipidemia (66.3%), hypertension (77.1%) and carotid atherosclerosis (97.6%) were the main underlying causes of cerebellar infarction. Ataxia (67.5%) and brainstem syndrome (60.2%) were main clinical manifestations. Patients with NIHSS score ≤ 5 accounted for the majority (87.9%) and SAO (43.3%) and LAA (50.6%) were the main TOAST classifications. The cerebellar infarction caused by obstruction of SCA accounted for the majority (69.9%) and there was no statistical difference in the detection ability of CTA and MRA (P > 0.05). The incidence of left hemisphere cerebellar infarction was the highest (56.7%) and MRI showed an absolute advantage in showing the area of cerebellar infarction compared with CT (P < 0.001). The serum concentrations of D-dimer, LDL, and triglycerides were higher in patients with high NIHSS scores than in those with low scores (P < 0.05), while the serum HDL levels were just the opposite (P < 0.05). The serum D-dimer concentrations in patients classified as CE by TOAST were higher than that in patients classified as LAA and SAO (P < 0.05), while the serum concentrations of LDL were just the opposite (P < 0.05). The lesion sizes of cerebellar infarction were negatively related to the patient's serum HDL concentrations (P < 0.05) but it positively correlated with the NIHSS scores (P < 0.05). The patients classified as LAA had larger lesion sizes of cerebellar infarction than those classified as SAO and CE (P < 0.001). Conclusions CTA and MRA are comparable in showing the stenosis and obstruction of the cerebellar artery. However, MRI has an absolute advantage in showing the area of cerebellar infarction. The serum concentrations of D-dimer, HDL, LDL, and triglycerides are correlated with the patient’s NIHSS scores, TOAST classification and infarct sizes, which are helpful in evaluating the condition of the disease.