title: Narrowed petrous carotid canal detection for the early diagnosis of moyamoya disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Patients with moyamoya disease (MMD) exhibit narrowed internal carotid arteries (ICAs) because the distal ends of the bilateral ICAs have become progressively stenosed, starting mainly in childhood. Accordingly, the petrous carotid canals in MMD patients are suspected to be more hypoplastic than those in control subjects. In this study, the diagnostic value of conventional computed tomography for MMD patients was retrospectively evaluated by comparing the caliber of the bilateral carotid canals in MMD patients with that in control subjects.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-five patients with MMD (15 males, 20 females; age range/average age: 6-71 / 26.1 years old) and age- and sex-matched control subjects underwent conventional head computed tomography. The maximal petrous carotid canal diameters of the two groups were measured and compared.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The maximal petrous carotid canal diameter was significantly smaller in the moyamoya patients (mean +/- standard deviation [mm] = 4.70 +/- 0.61) than in the control subjects (5.62 +/- 0.61, p < 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Conventional head computed tomography revealed narrowed petrous carotid canals in the MMD patients. This basic information could be utilized to screen patients who will require further examination, especially among those with underlying MMD.
authors: Department of Radiology, Takagi Hospital, Okawa, Japan.
authors: Shigenobu
authors: S
authors: Motoshima
authors: Tomoyuki
authors: T
authors: Noguchi
authors: Masatou
authors: M
authors: Kawashima
authors: Mitsutoshi
authors: M
authors: Ooishi
authors: Hiroyuki
authors: H
authors: Irie
authors: Masashi
authors: M
authors: Nishihara
authors: Toshio
authors: T
authors: Matsushima
authors: Sho
authors: S
authors: Kudo
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002339:Carotid Arteries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009072:Moyamoya Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D010579:Petrous Bone; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D055815:Young Adult