CEREBRAL-CIRCULATION IN MOYAMOYA DISEASE - A CLINICAL-STUDY USING TRANSCRANIAL DOPPLER SONOGRAPHY

Transcranial Doppler sonography was performed on eight patients diagno sed as Moyamoya disease. Angiographically, the patients-four adults (m ean age 42) and four children (mean age 7.7)-underwent a complete six- or five-vessel angiographic study. The results showed the following: (1) Despite the presence of stenosis, all middle cerebral arteries sho wed very low-flow velocity compared to their ipsilateral distal intern al carotid arteries. In adult cases, the difference was very significa nt (p < 0.02). (2) Relatively high-flow velocity was observed in the p osterior cerebral arteries of children, and in the ophthalmic arteries of adult cases. (3) In several occasions, very low-flow velocity valu es were still detected despite the fact that with angiography, the res pective arterial segments were hardly opacified. The relation and disc repancy between these results and the angiographic findings, and the p otential application of transcranial doppler in assessing and grading the severity of moyamoya disease are discussed.