The cerebrospinal fluid in patients with moyamoya disease (spontaneous occlusion of the circle of Willis) contains high level of basic fibroblast growth factor.

The level of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) in cerebrospinal fluid (CF) was measured by an EIA in 15 patients with moyamoya disease, in 11 patients with atherosclerotic occlusive disease, and in 8 patients with spinal disc disease. In the moyamoya patients, bFGF was found in 13 out of 15 CF samples with a mean value of 101 pg/ml. However, bFGF was detected in only 4 out of 11 patients with atherosclerotic disease with a mean of 8 pg/ml. In all the patients with disc disease, bFGF was not detected. The elevated level of bFGF may play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of moyamoya disease.