Anatomical Patterns and Clinical Characteristics of Acute Ischaemic Stroke: A Hospital-Based Study from Myanmar

Background: Acute ischaemic stroke is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Knowledge of the anatomical distribution of cerebral infarctions is important for understanding clinical presentation and guiding management. Objective: To describe the anatomical distribution of acute ischaemic stroke lesions and associated demographic and clinical characteristics among patients admitted to a tertiary military hospital. Methods: A hospital-based, retrospective descriptive study was conducted using computed tomography (CT) head scan records of patients admitted with acute ischaemic stroke to No. (2) Military Hospital (500-Bedded), Yangon, between January and December 2015. Patients with haemorrhagic stroke were excluded. Demographic data, admission clinical parameters, and CT-confirmed lesion locations were analysed. Results: A total of 44 patients were included. Multifocal cerebral infarctions were the most common finding (50%), followed by parietal lobe infarctions (25%) and internal capsule involvement (18.2%). Infarctions of the frontal lobe, temporal lobe, and brainstem were each observed in 2.3% of cases. The majority of patients were male (88.6%) and aged 41 to 60 years (68.2%). Most patients presented with normal body temperature, elevated blood pressure, and a Glasgow Coma Scale score of 15. No statistically significant association was found between anatomical distribution and demographic or clinical variables (p > 0.05). Conclusion: Multifocal cerebral infarction was the most frequent anatomical pattern among acute ischaemic stroke patients in this hospital. Larger studies are needed to further explore associations between lesion distribution and clinical characteristics.