Contralateral improvement of cerebrovascular reactivity and TIA frequency after unilateral revascularization surgery in moyamoya vasculopathy.

Objective: Moyamoya vasculopathy is a rare, often bilateral disease characterized by progressive stenosis and occlusion of the distal internal carotid artery, leading to a progressive deterioration of cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR) and increased risk of transient ischemic attacks (TIAs), infarction and hemorrhage. Surgical revascularization is a widely accepted symptomatic treatment, often performed bilaterally in one or two stages. To possibly further optimize treatment strategy, we investigated the effect of unilateral revascularization surgery on the CVR of, and TIA frequency originating from, the contralateral hemisphere.