Implementation and Rationale for a Unified Clinical and Imaging Protocol for Evaluation and Treatment of Moyamoya Angiopathy: A Single Institutional Experience

Abstract

Moyamoya disease (MMD) is a complex and incompletely-understood cerebrovascular pathological entity that requires thorough clinical and imaging evaluation. Moyamoya is rare, thereby making the establishment of an effective, thorough and interdisciplinary patient evaluation protocol challenging, even within specialized referral centers. Nevertheless, implementation of such a protocol is crucial in order to provide the best possible evaluation and treatment for MMD patients. Here, we describe our institution's implementation of, rationale for, and experience with a comprehensive multidisciplinary collaboration and evaluation strategy for adult patients with moyamoya. This evaluation course consists of, first of all, a thorough clinical and laboratory evaluation with a vascular neurologist. This is followed by a comprehensive imaging assessment which evaluates angiographic and parenchymal features, in addition to cerebrovascular functionality. Finally, appropriate referrals are made to consulting services as indicated, which includes vascular neurosurgery. These steps are described in detail herein.