Moyamoya Diseases

Ischemic stroke in children is a relatively rare entity relative to the adult population. Strokes in adults are often caused by atherosclerosis; in contrast, the etiology of stroke in children can be diverse and challenging. Although many different causes and potential risk factors for childhood stroke have been described, ischemic stroke in children frequently results from cardiac embolism, prothrombotic states, or vasculopathies, including moyamoya disease. Moyamoya disease is a vasculopathy characterized by chronic progressive stenosis or occlusion of the intracranial internal carotid arteries, including the proximal anterior cerebral arteries and middle cerebral arteries. It has been associated with about 6% of childhood strokes.