Purpose: Surgical revascularization for pediatric moyamoya disease improves cerebral blood flow (CBF) and consequently may prevent further ischemic events. However, the timing of the treatment is controversial especially for patients with no ischemic symptom and normal CBF. The purpose of this case report is to inform and infer the surgical treatment timing for pediatric moyamoya disease patients.
Case report: A 10-year-old female patient with unilateral moyamoya disease complaining of only headache as a symptom and whose Suzuki stage was II or in transition to III by angiography and CBF was almost normal was admitted to Tokyo Women's Medical University Hospital. We performed superficial temporal artery-middle cerebral artery (STA-MCA) double anastomoses for the patient because we estimated her headache was derived from low perfusion in the brain. STA-MCA bypass surgery was not only effective for relief of her severe headache but also valid for her cerebral perfusion. Her angiography showed much supply from external carotid artery to intracranial arteries via bypass grafts in 7 months.
Conclusion: Our case showed early surgical treatment was beneficial for relief of severe headache even for early staged pediatric moyamoya disease patients by improving perfusion pressure and cerebral circulation.