What is Moyamoya Disease?
Thursday, September 4, 2025
For decades, UI Health’s Neurosurgery program been at the forefront of helping patients treat complex, often life-threatening neurological conditions. One of those conditions is the notoriously underdiagnosed and difficult-to-treat Moyamoya disease.
What is Moyamoya Disease?
he word moyamoya means “puff of smoke” in Japanese, referring to the hazy appearance of the blood vessels present around the brains of patients with the condition.
It is a vascular condition in which the carotid artery in a patient’s head becomes blocked or narrowed. In response, the brain begins forming small, weak blood vessels to carry additional blood. However, these are often too poorly designed to withstand the pressure of normal blood flow, increasing the risk that they burst — potentially causing intracerebral hemorrhages and stroke.
“With less oxygenated blood traveling to the brain, patients with Moyamoya disease are about 60% more likely to have a stroke than the general population,” said Dr. Fady Charbel, head of Neurosurgery at UI Health. “But here, we have expertise in evaluating patients, including special imaging tools to show us how much blood is flowing to the brain and whether that is sufficient.”
Diagnosis and Treatment Options at UI Health
Because Moyamoya is a rare and complex condition, early diagnosis and coordinated care are crucial. UI Health’s imaging resources, including Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRIs) to map critical brain function and Magnetic Resonance Angiography (MRAs) to view real-time blood flow measurements, are critical to diagnosis and evaluation.
MRAs provide real-time measurements of
blood flow in a Moyamoya patient.
“Here, we have specialized expertise and state-of-the-art tools to evaluate Moyamoya patients,” said Dr. Charbel. “These include fMRIs and MRAs, which noninvasively allow us to see a detailed view of how much blood is going to the brain and whether it’s enough.”
Additionally, UI Health is one of the few academic medical centers in the Midwest that specializes in direct and indirect cerebral bypass procedures, both of which can be used to treat Moyamoya disease. These advanced, targeted treatments restore blood flow to the brain and lower the risk of stroke for Moyamoya patients.
“Even if there is a blockage in the arteries, we can still create alternative routes for the blood to flow to the brain,” added Dr. Charbel. “We have over 30 years of experience researching and treating this condition, some of the most experienced neurosurgeons in the world, and amazing success rates for bypass surgery.”
To learn more, visit the Department of Neurosurgery, or call 312.996.3700 to request an appointment.
