ABSTRACT
Multi-infarct dementia is the traditional name given to dementia occurring secondary to multiple, generally large, cortical infarctions; classically, in addition to the dementia, such patients also have focal signs, such as aphasia, and their history is characterized by a ‘stepwise’ course, with successive steps further down the cognitive ladder corresponding to successive large-vessel, territorial infarctions. As will be noted below, however, variations on this classic picture do occur. Thus conceived, multi-infarct dementia is, in all likelihood, a common cause of dementia in the elderly.
