FAMILIAL OCCURRENCE OF MOYAMOYA DISEASE - MAGNETIC-RESONANCE ANGIOGRAPHY AS A SCREENING-TEST FOR HIGH-RISK SUBJECTS

The authors report four cases of familial occurrence of moyamoya disea se. Although the pathogenesis of moyamoya disease is not clear, there is extensive evidence that this disease has a tendency to show multifa ctorial inheritance. Therefore, a screening test for those at high ris k, i.e., who have a moyamoya patient among their blood relatives, is c linically important. Magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) successfully revealed abnormal findings specific to moyamoya disease in members of the four probands families. MRA is a powerful and noninvasive way of detecting individuals at high risk of developing moymoya disease.