To investigate the relationship of coronary artery disease and silent
cerebral infarction, 50 patients who underwent coronary arteriography
and cranial magnetic resonance imaging were studied. The patients were
divided into three groups. The incidence of silent cerebral infarctio
n (chiefly lacunar infarction) was significantly higher in patients wi
th old myocardial infarction and in those with angina pectoris than in
the control group (80, 78 and 29%, respectively, p < 0.05). Silent ce
rebral infarction is considered to be a risk factor for symptomatic ce
rebrovascular disease, so more attention should be focussed on the pre
vention of stroke in patients with coronary artery disease.