Surgical treatment of moyamoya disease in children

Abstract

The chronic occlusive cerebrovascular disease was first described in 1957 by Takeuchi and Shimizu as hypo-plasia of bilateral internal carotid arteries (ICA)1,2. Later it was considered acquired and progressive, due to steno-sis or occlusion of the arteries next to the circle of Wil-lis, with abnormal arteries as collaterals1-5. In 1967, Suzu-ki and Takaku introduced the term moyamoya, Japanese word that means hazy, due to the image similar to a puff of smoke at angiography1,2,4,5. It is a rare disorder that pres-ents mostly ischemic symptoms in children and hemor-rhage in adults1-3,5. The disease induces the formation of a new vascular network (rete mirabilis)2. We report two cas-es of the moyamoya disease in children surgically treated.