Study of the posterior circulation in moyamoya disease. Part 2: Visual disturbances and surgical treatment.

Abstract

The involvement of the posterior circulation in moyamoya disease was studied in 178 patients. Forty-three had several types of disturbance such as visual field defect, decreased visual acuity, episodes of blindness, and scintillating scotomata. Most of these symptoms were attributed to occlusive lesions in the posterior circulation. Visual disturbances were seen more often in patients with a juvenile onset than in cases of adult onset. Superficial temporal artery (STA) to middle cerebral artery (MCA) anastomosis and encephalomyosynangiosis (EMS) improved the cerebral perfusion both in the anterior and posterior circulation by redistribution of blood. In most cases, the visual symptoms subsided or were stabilized after STA-MCA anastomosis and EMS. These surgical procedures did not, however, lead to direct revascularization in cases of ischemia in the visual cortex. In five patients with impending blindness, transplantation of the omentum to the occipital lobe led to improved vision.