Unilateral occlusion of the middle cerebral artery after varicella-zoster virus infection

We report a 4-year-old child who developed hemiplegia 6 months after varicella-zoster virus (VZV) infection. Cerebral angiography showed complete occlusion of the right middle cerebral artery with basal moyamoya vessels. Elevation of anti-VZV antibody in the cerebrospinal fluid indicated central nervous system involvement. The association between VZV cerebral angitis and unilateral occlusion of right middle cerebral artery is discussed. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.