From the Research
Left occipital encephalomalacia and chronic left gangliocapsular lacunar infarction can cause several distinct symptoms, including visual field defects, right-sided motor symptoms, and cognitive impairment, with the severity varying depending on the extent of damage, as supported by recent studies such as 1 and 2.
Symptoms and Effects
- Left occipital encephalomalacia typically causes visual field defects, particularly right-sided homonymous hemianopia, due to the occipital lobe's role in processing visual information from the opposite side.
- A chronic left gangliocapsular lacunar infarction commonly causes right-sided motor symptoms, including weakness, coordination problems, or subtle changes in dexterity on the right side of the body.
- Some patients may develop dysarthria, mild cognitive impairment, or emotional lability due to damage to motor pathways and subcortical structures regulating movement and cognitive functions.
Rehabilitation and Management
- Rehabilitation can help patients develop compensatory strategies to improve their quality of life, as seen in a case study where a patient with parieto-occipital encephalomalacia showed significant improvement after six weeks of physiotherapy rehabilitation, including the use of the proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) method 1.
- Tele-rehabilitation can also play a crucial role in the recovery of patients, allowing for continued support and monitoring outside of traditional clinical settings.
Underlying Mechanisms and Risk Factors
- Lacunar stroke, which can lead to encephalomalacia and lacunar infarction, has been found to have a substantial heritable component, with 12 loci identified as potential future treatment targets, including those involved in the disruption of the vascular extracellular matrix and pericyte differentiation 3.
- Risk factors such as elevated blood pressure, history of smoking, and type 2 diabetes have been positively associated with lacunar stroke through mendelian randomisation analyses 3.