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Newburgh, Indiana, United States

Sunday, March 23, 2008

Moyamoya Disease


Moyamoya disease is a condition where there is progressive blockage or occlusion of the ends of the internal carotid arteries and their major "terminal" branches in the brain. On a cerebral angiogram a classic sign is a puff of smoke appearance which is actually a bunch of tiny vessels due to the blockage. The term moya means tiny in Japanese. This disease affects children as well as adults. The main cause of the disease is unknown but there are some other diseases associated with moyamoya including some neurocutaneous syndromes (like meningitis, down syndrome and others). Symptoms in children are strokes, and seizures. In adults symptoms include brain hemorrhage and strokes brought on by headaches neurological impairments, and sudden collapse. If the hemorrhage is deep within the brain it is termed an intraparenchymal hemorrhage. To diagnose the disease a CT scan, a MRI, or a MRA to view the vessels in the brain. For treatment of this disease surgery is the preferred method. The surgery may include removal of the hematoma in the brain, clipping an aneurysm, or doing a brain bypass.
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