CADASIL (cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy): Diagnostic approaches and appropriate treatments

CADASIL, acronym for "cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leucoencephalopathy" is the most common inherited cause of stroke. This condition gradually leads to vascular dementia. This case report draws attention to this disease, which is often under-diagnosed and must especially be considered in the absence of cardiovascular risk factors. This paper reports the case of a 62-year-old patient admitted to our unit for multiple stroke and transient ischemic attacks, with progressive dementia. MRI revealed multiple abnormalities suggestive of CADASIL. The physiopathology and management of this genetic arteriopathy, as well as the usefulness of further investigations, are discussed in this article, taking into account the most recent literature.