Background and objectives: Stroke is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, and intracranial stenoses increase the risk for stroke. Superficial temporal artery to middle cerebral artery bypass can be beneficial in selected patients with non-moyamoya steno-occlusive disease, however data is limited regarding the postoperative occurrence of hyperperfusion syndrome in this population. This case series describes the outcomes and complications, including hyperperfusion, in these patients who underwent bypass.
Methods: This is a retrospective review of bypass procedures done for medically refractory intracranial stenosis at a single institution by a single surgeon between 2014 and 2021.
Results: 30 patients underwent 33 bypass procedures for unequivocal non-moyamoya steno-occlusive disease. All patients had immediate bypass patency on post-operative day one. Major perioperative complications (9%) included one stroke and two cases of hyperperfusion syndrome. Minor perioperative complications (12%) included two seizures, one superficial wound infection and one deep vein thrombosis. Modified Rankin Score improved in 20 patients (74%), worsened in one patient (4%), and remained stable in seven patients (22%) at the last follow up. Twenty-three patients (85%) had scores ≤ 2. The recurrent stroke rate was 3% at 30 days and 7% at two years. The bypass patency rate at one year was 87.5%.
Conclusion: In this series, bypass for patients with medically refractory non-moyamoya steno-occlusive disease was well tolerated and effective, with overall favorable outcomes. The occurrence of hyperperfusion syndrome is rare but significant and should be considered in post-operative management of this population.
Keywords: Cerebral revascularization; Hyperperfusion syndrome; Ischemic stroke; Non-moyamoya steno-occlusive disease; Superficial temporal artery-middle cerebral artery bypass.
Published by Elsevier Inc.