＜Editors' Choice＞ Indocyanine green emission timing of the recipient artery in revascularization surgery for moyamoya disease.

In superficial temporal artery to middle cerebral artery anastomosis with indirect revascularization for patients with moyamoya disease, the optimal method for selecting the most appropriate cortical artery for the recipient in anastomosis has not been established. We investigated the relationship between the fluorescence emission timing of the recipient artery in the preanastomosis indocyanine green videoangiography and operative outcomes. This retrospective study included 51 surgical revascularization procedures for 39 moyamoya disease patients. The enrolled surgical procedures were classified into three groups based on the fluorescence emission timing of the recipient artery in preanastomosis indocyanine green videoangiography: the EARLIEST, the INTERMEDIATE, and the LATEST. Clinical characteristics and operative outcomes were also collected. The occurrence of white thrombus at the anastomosis site and symptomatic hyperperfusion showed significant differences between the groups classified by the fluorescence emission timing of the recipient artery in preanastomosis indocyanine green videoangiography (white thrombus, p = 0.001; symptomatic hyperperfusion, p = 0.026). The development of white thrombi was significantly higher in the LATEST group, and all symptomatic hyperperfusion was observed in the EARLIEST group. These results indicated that the LATEST group had a significantly higher risk for developing white thrombus, and the EARLIEST group was prone to occur symptomatic hyperperfusion. Selecting the recipient artery based on evaluating the fluorescence emission timing in preanastomosis indocyanine green videoangiography may be useful in reducing perioperative complications.