Capsular Warning Syndrome: Clinical Analysis and Treatment

Abstract Background: Capsular warning syndrome (CWS) was a rare clinical syndrome, which was defined as recurrent transient lacunar syndromes. The mechanism and clinical management of CWS were not clear. The purpose of this study was to discuss the clinical characteristics, treatment and prognosis of the CWS. Methods: This was a multicenter retrospective study that involved three medical centers, we collected clinical data from patients with CWS between January 2013 and December 2018. We analyzed the clinical characteristics of the CWS. Patients with CWS were divided into two groups: rt-PA and no rt-PA groups. We analyzed the therapeutic effects and prognosis between different groups. Results: This study included 72 patients, 27 in rt-PA group, 45 in no rt-PA group, hypertension and dyslipidemia were the most common risk factors. The mean number of episodes before an irreversible neurological impairment or the symptoms completely disappeared was 5 times(3-11). 59 (81.94%) patients had acute infarction lesions on the diffusion weighted imaging (DWI). The most common infarct location was the internal capsule (76.38%,55), followed by the thalamus and pons. The difference in therapeutic effects between rt-PA, single and double antiplatelet groups was not significant(P>0.05). A good prognosis was observed in 61 (84.72%) patients at 3-month, 23 (23/27, 85.19%) patients in rt-PA group and 38 (38/45,84.44%) patients in no rt-PA group(P>0.05). After 3 months of follow-up, 2 patients had recurrent ischemic stroke. Conclusions: The most effective treatment of CWS remains unclear. Despite the high incidence of infarction in CWS patients, more than 80% patients had favorable functional prognosis