Small vessel vasculopathies affecting the central nervous system.

Small vessel diseases affecting the central nervous system are common causes of ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke. Diseases affecting the small vessels are due either to abnormalities in the content of the vessel or to abnormalities in the vessel wall. Causes include atherosclerosis, inflammatory vasculitides, and noninflammatory vasculopathies such as postpartum angiopathy, cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL), Susac syndrome, and Sneddon syndrome.