Moyamoya-like vasculopathy (moyamoya syndrome) in children

Introduction: A large variety of inherited or acquired childhood disorders and conditions may present in conjunction with progressive bilateral stenosis and/or occlusion of the terminal segments of the internal carotid artery. In addition, the development of pathological collateral vessels can be observed in the vicinity of the steno-occlusive changes in these patients. This condition is known as moyamoya-like (MML) vasculopathy. The natural history, the angiographic appearance, and the pathology of MML vasculopathy probably differ from those of definite moyamoya disease. Adequate cerebral vascular imaging should be considered in all pediatric patients with inherited or acquired systemic disorders and symptoms attributable to cerebral ischemia. Cases and discussion: We present four pediatric cases of MML vasculopathy, and outline the etiology, the current classification, and the therapeutic approaches for this heterogeneous disease entity.