Moyamoya Disease

Question: what is the life span of a person with moyamoya disease?? Please tell me more about this disease pls. i know there is a treatment... but is there any cure for moyamoya?? if there is no, then how long is their life span?? any food to abstain??

Answer: Moyamoya disease is a rare, progressive cerebrovascular disorder caused by blocked arteries at the base of the brain in an area called the basal ganglia. The disease primarily affects children, but it can also occur in adults. In children, the first symptom of Moyamoya disease is often stroke, or recurrent transient ischemic attacks (TIA, commonly referred to as “mini-strokes�), frequently accompanied by muscular weakness or paralysis affecting one side of the body, or seizures. Adults most often experience a hemorrhagic stroke due to recurring blood clots in the affected brain vessels. Individuals with this disorder may have disturbed consciousness, speech deficits (usually aphasia), sensory and cognitive impairments, involuntary movements, and vision problems. Is there any treatment? There are several types of revascularization surgery that can restore blood flow to the brain by opening narrowed blood vessels or by bypassing blocked arteries. Children usually respond better to revascularization surgery than adults, but the majority of individuals have no further strokes or related problems after surgery. What is the prognosis? Without surgery, the majority of individuals with Moyamoya disease will experience mental decline and multiple strokes because of the progressive narrowing of arteries. Without treatment, Moyamoya disease can be fatal as the result of intracerebral hemorrhage.

Question: Is there a cure for a rare brain disorder called moyamoya syndrome/disease? A RARE BRAIN DISORDER CHARACTERIZED BY A PUFF IF SMOKE APPEARANCE OF THE ARTERIES & BLOOD VESSELS IN THE BRAIN DURING AN ANGIO OR ARTERIOGRAM. BTW, THIS IS HOW THE DISORDER IS DIANOSED. THE JAPANESE TERM MOYAMOYA MEANS 'PUFF OF SMOKE'. IT WAS BELIEVED THAT IT ONLY AFFECTED THE ASIAN POPULATION, BUT NOW THE DISEASE HAS NO PREFERENCE ON RACE, ANYONE IS AFFECTED. IT AFFECTS MAINLY INFANTS & CHILDREN, MORE ADULTS ARE BEING DIAGNOSED. THERE IS NO TREATMENT OPTIONS I AM AWARE OF OTHER THAN A CERTAIN BYPASS SURGERY DONE BY A SMALL HANDFUL OF QUAILFIED NEUROSURGEONS HERE IN THE U.S. NOT MANY DOCTORS ARE AWARE OF THIS DISORDER SO MANY PEOPLE ARE MISDIAGNOSED WITH SOMETHING ELSE, IF MOYA IS DIAGNOSED PROPER TREATMENT NEEDS TO BE ADMINISTERED & THATS WHERE THE PROBLEM BEGINS. MEDICADE WILL NOT COVER COSTS OF TREATMENT (SURGERY) SO TREATMENT OPTIONS REMAIN SLIM. IF ANYONE ELSE HAS ANY INFO, PLEASE SHARE, IT COULD MEAN LIFE OR DEATH TO SOMEONE LIKE ME WHO HAS NO WHERE ELSE TO TURN.

Answer: Moya moya is not a disease in and of itself. It is the end product of any abnormality (usually occurred or present since birth or very early childhood) where the normal blood supply to the brain has been disturbed (i.e. a stroke). The appearance of small irregular blood vessels within the brain is the body's response to try and get blood to the brain the best way it can in the absence of normal arteries. The surgical treatment options available all try to provide alternative routes of blood delivery to the brain. These are collectively bypass procedures, or synangiosis procedure. Synangiosis can be done differently, but the the basic principle is to try and recruit outer blood vessels in the head (i.e. scalp blood vessels) to feed the brain. More detailed explanation and options can be provided by a neurosurgeon.

Question: Is there any doctor that can preform a moyamoya brain surgery in Malaysia? if not any in ASIAN?? My cousin have this moyamoya disease..... i hear from my aunt the doctor say may be singapur has this surgery. but if my cousin go to singapur, how much will it cost?? can the doctor in Kuala Lumpur(the main city in Malaysia) do this surgery?? how much will it cost??

Answer: It appears that the STA-MCA Bypass was first done in Malaysia. I'm sure that this can still be done there. It's a quite common surgery for those with moyamoya. Brain surgery tends to be quite expensive, hope you have insurance. But talk to the doctor, just because you're only the cousin doesn't mean you can't get generic info from the doc.