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Background: Little is known about the association between stroke and imaging and clinical features in conservatively treated patients with moyamoya disease (MMD)., Purpose: To investigate independent risk factors for stroke in conservatively treated patients with MMD during a long-term follow-up., Study Type: Prospective study., Subjects: One hundred sixty conservatively managed patients with MMD (median age 46 years, 89 male)., Field Strength/sequence: Time of flight, turbo inversion recovery magnitude T1WI, turbo spin echo (TSE) T2WI, echo-planar imaging DWI, T2-fluid attenuated inversion recovery, dynamic susceptibility contrast-magnetic resonance imaging, and pre- and post-contrast 3D TSE T1WI sequences at 3.0 Tesla., Assessment: Patients were assessed at baseline and followed yearly. Ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke incidence rates were determined. Multiple demographic, clinical (modified Rankin score [mRS]), and cerebral imaging (cerebral blood volume [CBV] and concentric enhancement of arterial wall) factors at baseline were considered as potential predictors of stroke during the follow-up period., Statistical Tests: Univariable and multivariable Cox proportional hazards models to calculate the hazard ratios (HRs) and corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) for stroke. Cumulative risk of stroke was estimated by the Kaplan-Meier product-limit method. A P value <0.05 was considered statistically significant., Results: The median follow-up duration was 47 months. During the follow-up period, 18 (11.25%) patients experienced stroke events (13 [8.13%] ischemic, 5 [3.12%] hemorrhagic). Univariable analysis showed that 11 factors were significantly associated with stroke. After adjustment for clinical characteristics, multivariable analysis showed that mRS score ≥3 (HR, 1.99; 95% CI, 1.26-3.14), decreased CBV (HR, 5.31; 95% CI, 2.32-12.13), and concentric enhancement of the arterial wall (HR, 4.16; 95% CI, 1.55-11.15) were significantly associated with stroke., Data Conclusion: Decreased CBV, mRS score ≥ 3, and concentric enhancement of the arterial wall were significantly associated with increased incidence of stroke in conservatively treated MMD., Evidence Level: 2 TECHNICAL EFFICACY: Stage 4., (© 2023 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.)

Objectives: We aimed to compare the long-term outcomes and surgical benefits between moyamoya disease (MMD) and atherosclerosis-associated moyamoya vasculopathy (AS-MMV) using high-resolution MRI (HRMRI)., Methods: MMV patients were retrospectively included and divided into the MMD and AS-MMV groups according to vessel wall features on HRMRI. Kaplan-Meier survival and Cox regression were performed to compare the incidence of cerebrovascular events and prognosis of encephaloduroarteriosynangiosis (EDAS) treatment between MMD and AS-MMV., Results: Of the 1173 patients (mean age: 42.4±11.0 years; male: 51.0%) included in the study, 881 were classified into the MMD group and 292 into the AS-MMV group. During the average follow-up of 46.0±24.7 months, the incidence of cerebrovascular events in the MMD group was higher compared with that in the AS-MMV group before (13.7% vs 7.2%; HR 1.86; 95% CI 1.17 to 2.96; p=0.008) and after propensity score matching (6.1% vs 7.3%; HR 2.24; 95% CI 1.34 to 3.76; p=0.002). Additionally, patients treated with EDAS had a lower incidence of events than those not treated with EDAS, regardless of whether they were in the MMD (HR 0.65; 95% CI 0.42 to 0.97; p=0.043) or AS-MMV group (HR 0.49; 95% CI 0.51 to 0.98; p=0.048)., Conclusions: Patients with MMD had a higher risk of ischaemic stroke than those with AS-MMV, and patients with both MMD and AS-MMV could benefit from EDAS. Our findings suggest that HRMRI could be used to identify those who are at a higher risk of future cerebrovascular events., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2023. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Objectives: This study aimed to determine the association between vessel wall enhancement and progression of arterial stenosis and clinical outcomes in patients with moyamoya (MMD) using high-resolution magnetic resonance (HRMR) vessel wall imaging., Methods: Consecutive participants diagnosed with MMD were prospectively recruited and underwent HRMR at baseline and during follow-up, which had an interval period of ≥ 6 months and were clinically followed up for ≤ 24 months to record the occurrence of ischemic stroke. The relationship between vessel wall enhancement and arterial stenosis progression and stroke occurrence was evaluated., Results: HRMR vessel wall imaging was used to identify 309 stenotic lesions at the internal carotid artery (ICA) in 170 participants (mean age: 37.7 ± 11.3 years old, male: 44.1%). The baseline presence (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 3.57, 95% CI = 1.97-6.44, p < 0.001) and progression (aOR = 2.96, 95% CI = 1.29-6.80, p = 0.010) of vessel wall enhancement and middle cerebral artery (MCA) involvement (aOR = 4.98, 95% CI = 1.50-16.52, p = 0.009) were significantly associated with rapid progression of arterial stenosis. Furthermore, vessel wall enhancement (adjusted HR = 3.59, 95% CI = 1.33-9.70, p = 0.011) and rapid progression of arterial stenosis (adjusted HR = 4.52, 95% CI = 1.48-13.81, p = 0.008) were correlated with future stroke occurrence., Conclusion: The baseline presence of vessel wall enhancement was associated with rapid progression of arterial stenosis and increased risk for stroke in MMD patients. Our findings suggest that vessel wall enhancement may serve as a predictor of disease progression and poor outcomes in MMD., Key Points: • The baseline presence of vessel wall enhancement was significantly associated with the rapid progression of arterial stenosis. • The baseline presence of vessel wall enhancement and rapid progression of arterial stenosis were both correlated with increased risk for future occurrence of stroke. • Our findings suggest that vessel wall enhancement may serve as a predictor of rapid progression of arterial stenosis and poor outcomes in MMD patients., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to European Society of Radiology.)

Background: The features of intracranial arteries in patients with Moyamoya disease (MMD) have been widely investigated. However, the MR characteristics of extracranial internal carotid artery (EICA) and their effect on outcomes of revascularization treatment are not fully understood. Purpose: To investigate the characteristics of EICA and their relationship with outcomes of revascularization treatment in adult patients with MMD based on higher‐resolution MRI (HRMRI). Study Type: Prospective interventional outcomes. Subjects: Two hundred eighty‐eight consecutive patients with MMD (mean age: 43.7 ± 11.2 years; 140 male). Field Strength/Sequence: Turbo inversion recovery magnitude T1‐weighted imaging and turbo spin echo (TSE) T2‐weighted imaging, three‐dimensional time‐of‐flight MR angiography, T2‐fluid attenuated inversion recovery, and 3D T1‐SPACE vessel wall imaging at 3.0 T. Assessment: The HRMRI characteristics of EICA were determined. The relationship between the characteristics of EICA (proximal stenosis, diffuse wall thickening, carotid plaques, and luminal thrombosis) and stroke outcomes of revascularization treatment in patients with MMD was analyzed. The discriminative ability of EICA characteristics in combination with intracranial carotid artery features (involvement of vessel segments, bilateral involvement, and Suzuki stage) to determine stroke outcomes was compared with that of intracranial artery features alone during a mean 8.0 months follow‐up period. Statistical Tests: Cox proportional hazards models and Kaplan–Meier curves to calculate the hazard ratios (HRs) for stroke with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) for assessing discriminative performance. A P value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: During a mean 8.0 ± 2.2 months follow‐up, of the 288 participants, 137 had proximal stenosis (47.6%), 106 had diffuse wall thickening (36.8%), 60 had carotid plaques (20.8%), and 27 had luminal thrombosis (9.4%) of EICA. Of these features, proximal stenosis (HR = 2.86; 95% CI = 1.13–7.29) and diffuse wall thickening (HR = 2.62; 95% CI = 1.16–5.94) of EICA were significantly associated with stroke after surgery, before and after adjusting for confounding factors. In discriminating the stroke outcomes after surgery, combining characteristics of EICA with features of intracranial arteries resulted in a significant incremental improvement (DeLong test, P < 0.05) in the AUC over that obtained with features of intracranial arteries alone (AUC: 0.73 vs. 0.60–0.64). Conclusion: Proximal stenosis and diffuse wall thickening of EICA were significantly associated with stroke outcomes after surgery in patients with MMD. Our findings suggest that understanding the characteristics of EICA has added value for intracranial vessels in predicting future events after surgery in patients with MMD. Evidence Level: 2 Technical Efficacy: Stage 4 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of chronic cerebral hypoperfusion on resting-state blood oxygen level-dependent signal fluctuations remains unknown. We aimed to determine whether chronic ischemia induces changes in amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF) and to investigate the correlation between ALFF and perfusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (PWI) parameters in patients with moyamoya disease (MMD). Thirty patients with pre- and postoperative resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging and PWI were included, and thirty normal controls underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging. A decrease in preoperative frontal lobe ALFF was observed in patients with MMD. Postoperative frontal lobe ALFF showed moderate improvement but still remained lower than those in normal controls. The values of mean transit time and time-to-peak, but not cerebral blood volume and cerebral blood flow, correlated significantly with frontal lobe ALFF. Moreover, there were significant negative correlations between changes in frontal lobe PWI parameters and changes in frontal lobe ALFF on both operated side and contralateral side after the unilateral revascularization surgery. Our results demonstrate that reduced ALFF are closely related to the abnormal PWI parameters and vary with the alteration of cerebral perfusion in patients with MMD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]