[Diagnosis and treatment of vascular dementia].

Vascular dementia is the second cause of dementia after Alzheimer's disease. It is a broad term which includes dementia due to: single or multiple infarcts related to large vessel disease, subcortical ischemic pathology linked to small vessel disease, hemorrhages, and hypoperfusion. Furthermore, vascular and Alzheimer lesions often coexist leading to a mixed dementia. The diagnosis should be considered in the presence of dementia, clinical or neuroradiological signs of cerebrovascular disease and a plausible link between the two. Newly identified preventive strategies and encouraging results of recent trials using cholinesterase inhibitors or memantine suggest therapeutic potential.