Predominant involvement of ipsilateral anterior and posterior circulations in moyamoya disease.
OBJECTIVE
We encountered several patients with childhood onset of moyamoya disease in whom the ipsilateral anterior and posterior circulations were predominantly involved. This study investigated whether this is an angiographic characteristic of this disease.


METHODS
We evaluated steno-occlusive lesions on angiograms of 85 patients with pediatric onset of moyamoya disease, using two 4-stage angiographic classification scales for the internal carotid artery and posterior cerebral artery systems (ICA and PCA staging, respectively) and determined whether lesions with more advanced ICA and PCA stages were on ipsilateral sides.


RESULTS
When positive laterality was defined as the presence of a difference by > or =1 stage between the stages on both sides, lateralities in the ICA stages and in the PCA stages were present in 40 (47%) and 27 patients (32%), respectively. Lesions with more advanced ICA and PCA stages were on the same side, with significant probability (P=0.024, Fisher's exact test). Lateralities in both ICA and PCA lesions were found in 17 patients. In 14 (82%) of the 17 patients, the more advanced side of ICA lesions was the same as that of PCA lesions, while it was contralateral in 3 patients (18%).


CONCLUSIONS
In pediatric-onset moyamoya disease, asymmetrical involvement of bilateral ICAs and PCAs was common, and the ipsilateral ICA and PCA tended to be predominantly involved.
Mugikura
Shunji
S
Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Tohoku University School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan. mugi777@ma.mni.ne.jp
Takahashi
Shoki
S
Higano
Shuichi
S
Shirane
Reizo
R
Sakurai
Yoshiharu
Y
Yamada
Shogo
S
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002343:Carotid Artery, Internal / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D002533:Cerebral Angiography; D002536:Cerebral Arteries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009072:Moyamoya Disease / Q000145:classification* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index