Abstract: Objective To investigate the clinical features and prognosis of acute ischemic stroke patients with different infarction patterns.Methods87 patients who underwent diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) within 6 h after symptom onset and visualized acute cerebral infarcts within the middle cerebral artery territory were prospectively studied.According to DWI lesion patterns,the patients were divided into 6 groups.Before MR was performed and 24 h after onset,scores of National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) were recorded.3 months after onset,scores of modified Ranking scale(mRS) were obtained.ResultsThe baseline NIHSS,infarction volume,occlusion of relevant internal carotid artery or middle cerebral artery and clinical outcome were significantly different among 6 groups(P<0.05).ConclusionDifferent infarction patterns of acute ischemic stroke were associated with clinical symptoms,vascular status,and clinical outcome,that may help to guide treatment and judge prognosis.

Key words: acute ischemic stroke, diffusion weighted imaging, prognosis