Lacunar cerebral infarction refers to a small lesion with a diameter of 0.2 to 15 mm shown on cranial imaging. Most patients with lacunar cerebral infarction will not have their life expectancy affected by treatment, but long-term medication is required to prevent recurrence of cerebral infarction. The life expectancy of patients with lacunar cerebral infarction is related to the site of cerebral infarction, whether it affects the corresponding functional area, the patient’s vascular condition, and whether the patient has risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes, coronary artery disease, atrial fibrillation, and a history of smoking and alcohol consumption. The lacunar infarct foci detected by routine head CT examination are not clinically significant if they are asymptomatic, and it is possible that the infarct foci do not affect functional areas or have good vascular compensation. Most patients with lacunar cerebral infarction only have symptoms such as slight slanting of the mouth, hemianopia and unfavorable speech, and as long as they take the appropriate therapeutic drugs as prescribed and control the risk factors, their life expectancy will not be affected and they can even be completely free of any sequelae. However, if lacunar cerebral infarction is located in important parts of the brainstem such as the respiratory and circulatory centers, it can lead to confusion or even coma, and may also involve the respiratory and circulatory centers to endanger the patient’s life. The most important risk factor for lacunar cerebral infarction is hypertension. Therefore, it is extremely important to prevent recurrence of the disease. Patients should adhere to the medical prescriptions and take the corresponding drugs, control the risk factors, especially control the blood pressure, and maintain a good state of mind to prevent recurrence of cerebral infarction.