Chiari malformation
Treatment for Chiari I malformation depends on whether you have any symptoms and how severe they are. You might not need any treatment if you don't have any symptoms.
Painkillers can help relieve any headaches and neck pain.
If your headaches are severe or you have problems caused by the pressure on your spinal cord (such as movement difficulties), surgery may be recommended.
The main operation for Chiari malformation is called decompression surgery.
Undergeneral anaesthetic a cut is made at the back of your head and the surgeon removes a small piece of bone from the base of your skull. They may also remove a small piece of bone from the top of your spine.
This will help reduce the pressure on your brain and allow the fluid in and around your brain and spinal cord to flow normally.Read an NHS leaflet about decompression for Chiari malformation (PDF, 111kb).
Other procedures that maybe necessaryinclude:
The aim of surgery is tostop existing symptoms getting any worse. Some people also experience an improvement in their symptoms, particularly their headaches.
However, surgery sometimes results in no improvement or symptoms getting worse.There's also asmall risk of serious complications, such as paralysis ora stroke.
Talk to your surgeon about the different surgical options and what the benefits and risks of each are.
Find out what a Chiari malformation is, what problems it may cause, why it happens and how it can be treated.
The severity of Chiari malformations can vary from person to person, but generally: Chiari I malformations aren't considered life-threatening some people experience painful headaches, movement proble
Many people with a Chiari I malformation will not have any symptoms. Sometimes they'reonly foundafter an (MRI) scanof the brainis carried out for another reason.If symptoms do develop, theycan include
Treatment for Chiari I malformation depends on whether you have any symptoms and how severe they are. You might not need any treatment if you don't have any symptoms.Painkillers can help relieve any h
The exact cause of Chiari I malformations is unknown. It tends to be present from birth, but is normally only found in adulthood when symptoms develop or when an MRI scan is done. Many cases are thoug