Brain Perfusion Before and After Surgical Treatment of Moyamoya Disease

Abstract

Moyamoya disease is characterized by bilateral progressive terminal internal carotid arteries steno-occlusion. In this patient, the disease affected middle cerebral arteries and was disclosed after a left frontal cerebral infarction. Brain HMPAO perfusion scintigraphy with acetazolamide challenge, obtained before surgical treatment, demonstrates an extended bilateral frontal hypoperfusion with a vascular steal phenomenon. The same examination obtained after surgical treatment demonstrates a frank improvement in basal brain vascularization, with nearly complete correction of vascular steal phenomenon. HMPAO brain scintigraphy is a very useful tool in the assessment of moyamoya disease severity before surgery and for the evaluation of treatment efficiency.