Small vessel disease of the brain and the heart has far-reaching clinical implications, with healthcare costs totaling billions each year. 1-3 Though a lack of consensus in the classification of small vessel disease exists, the pathophysiologic features implicate damage to small end arteries, arterioles, venules, and capillaries, resulting in chronic end-organ hypoperfusion. 4 In the brain, hypoperfusion can contribute to cognitive decline, gait disturbance, dementia, and stroke; in the heart, hypoperfusion can result in angina, coronary syndromes, and debilitating heart failure. 4 Cardiac and cerebral small vessel diseases likely represent variations of the same systemic, pathologic process. Despite similarities in pathogenesis, divergent diagnostic and therapeutic approaches currently exist. In the current paper, we will discuss the parallels between cardiac and cerebral small vessel diseases and highlight the diagnostic magnetic