Pseudomoyamoya in sickle cell anemia

Sickle cell (drepanocytic) anemia is a hereditary blood disease occurring very rarely in Mexico. A 13-year-old Mexican boy with sickle cell anemia eventually died of a cerebrovascular accident of the brain stem, as shown by computerized tomography (CT). A characteristic moyamoya-like angiographic pattern was demonstrated on bilateral carotid and left vertebral arteriograms. Moyamoya disease has no known etiology, but the characteristic angiographic features of moyamoya have been observed in conjunction with some other disease of known origin (including sickle cell anemia). It is therefore my belief that these latter cases should be referred to as pseudomoyamoya and not true moyamoya.