NEUROLOGIC COMPLICATIONS OF CEREBRAL-ANGIOGRAPHY IN CHILDHOOD MOYAMOYA SYNDROME

Purpose. To determine the incidence of neurologic complications of cer ebral angiography in children with moyamoya syndrome (MMS) as compared to children without MMS. Materials and methods. One-hundred-ninety co nsecutive cerebral angiograms obtained in 152 children were evaluated. Sixty of these angiograms were obtained in 40 children with MMS. Pati ents underwent neurologic evaluation prior to and after the procedure. For this study, a neurologic complication was defined as any new foca l neurologic deficit or alteration in mental status occurring during t he procedure or within the ensuing 24 hours. Results. There were 2 neu rologic complications within 24 hours of angiography, one in the MMS g roup and one in the non-MMS group. One patient with MMS became mute fo llowing angiography. The symptom resolved within 12 hours. One patient without MMS being examined postoperatively for residual arteriovenous malformation developed intracranial hemorrhage requiring reexploratio n 12 hours after the angiogram. Using a two-tail Fisher's exact test, there was no significant statistical difference in the ischemic (P = 0 .3) or hemorrhagic (P = 1.0) complication rates between the group of p atients with MMS and the non-MMS groups. Conclusion. The risk of a neu rologic complication from cerebral angiography in children with MMS is low and not statistically different from the risk in children with ot her cerebrovascular disorders.