Longitudinal MRI dynamics of recent small subcortical infarcts and possible predictors

We aimed to explore the morphological evolution of recent small subcortical infarcts (RSSIs) over 15 months. Moreover, we hypothesized that quantitative lesion apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values and serum neurofilament light (NfL) levels predict subsequent lacunar cavitation. We prospectively studied 78 RSSI patients, who underwent pre-defined follow-up investigations three and 15 months poststroke using 3 T MRI including high-resolution T1 sequences. To identify potential predictors of cavitation, we determined RSSI size and quantitative ADC values, and serum NfL using the SIMOA technique. The majority of RSSIs showed cavitation at three months (n = 61, 78%) with only minimal changes regarding cavitation status thereafter. The maximum axial lacunar diameter decreased from 8 mm at three to 7 mm at 15 months (p