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It's only natural to want to know what a Chiari malformation looks like. These images will help you understand what a Chiari malformation is, and how decompression surgery helps to resolve it.This illustration shows the cerebellar tonsils descending from the skull toward the spinal column, creating pressure.
- Overview
- Symptoms and Causes
- Diagnosis and Tests
- Management and Treatment
- Prevention
- Outlook / Prognosis
- Living With
A Chiari malformation is a structural abnormality in your skull that causes part of your brain to move into your spinal canal. You may have mild or severe symptoms or no symptoms at all. It usually causes headaches and difficulty with balance and coordination, as it affects your cerebellum. Surgery may help.
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OverviewSymptoms and CausesDiagnosis and TestsManagement and TreatmentPreventionOutlook / PrognosisLiving With
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What does a Chiari malformation feel like?
You may experience the following symptoms if you have a Chiari malformation. Headaches or a throbbing, stabbing or sharp pain in the back of your head, neck or shoulders that gets worse after coughing or sneezing. Difficulty with balance and coordination. Dizziness and vertigo. Weak muscles. Numbness in your arms or legs or a burning sensation in your fingers, toes or lips. Feeling like your heart misses a beat (palpitations). Difficulty falling asleep (insomnia) and feeling tired all the time (chronic fatigue).
What are the symptoms of a Chiari malformation?
Common symptoms of Chiari malformations include: Vision changes like double vision, blurred vision, abnormal eye movements or light sensitivity. Hearing problems like a ringing sound (tinnitus) or hearing loss. Difficulty swallowing (drooling, vomiting or gagging), eating, drinking or speaking. Curved spine (scoliosis). Loss of bladder or bowel control. Fainting. Difficulty breathing while sleeping (sleep apnea). Symptoms vary from person to person and range from no symptoms to mild to severe symptoms. In some people, symptoms are present at birth. In others, symptoms appear in late childhood or adulthood. Symptoms may also get better or worse at different points in time. Advertisement
What causes a Chiari malformation?
A Chiari malformation happens when the lower back part of your brain pushes through your spinal canal or the foramen magnum, where your brain and spinal cord meet. A structural growth abnormality (a smaller-than-expected size in the area where your cerebellum sits) in your brain and spinal cord causes pressure in this part of your brain. The pressure makes your cerebellum grow in a different than expected location. This happens during fetal development. Chiari malformations are almost always present at birth (congenital), though symptoms may not develop until later in life. This is usually the result of a genetic change (mutation) that you inherit from your biological family or it happens randomly after conception. Very rarely, a Chiari malformation can develop in someone who wasn’t born with the condition. In these cases, the skull or spinal cord might change shape due to: A brain tumor. A cyst. Hematoma (blood accumulation). Hydrocephalus. Intracranial hypertension or pseudotumor cerebri. A Chiari malformation may happen in addition to an underlying health condition like: Goldenhar syndrome. Achondroplasia. Connective tissue conditions like Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. Spina bifida.
How is a Chiari malformation diagnosed?
A healthcare provider will diagnose a Chiari malformation after a complete physical exam. Your provider will test your movement, balance and the sensations in your hands and feet. In addition, they’ll look for memory problems, learning challenges and developmental delays among children. To confirm a diagnosis, a healthcare provider will order imaging tests to see a detailed image of your brain and spinal cord. Imaging tests may include: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): This imaging test can show soft tissues and bones. It helps your healthcare provider see your brain, spinal cord and cerebrospinal fluid. MRI can show the extent that the cerebellum extends into your spinal canal. Cine MRI: This test is similar to a traditional MRI, but it allows your doctor to see the flow pattern of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) around the base of your skull. Computed tomography (CT): A CT scan helps detect problems in bones at the base of your skull and spinal column. X-ray: X-rays check for bone abnormalities in your skull and neck. Sometimes, Chiari malformations appear on prenatal ultrasounds before a fetus is born. An ultrasound is an imaging test that uses sound waves to produce pictures of soft tissues. If you don’t experience symptoms of a Chiari malformation, you might receive this diagnosis if you get imaging tests for another unrelated reason.
How is Chiari malformation treated?
Your healthcare provider will make a treatment plan based on the severity of your symptoms. If you don’t have symptoms, you don’t need treatment. Your provider will monitor your health with regular MRIs. Treatment for mild symptoms like a headache or neck pain may include: Taking pain medications or medications to help you manage your symptoms. Participating in massage therapy or physical therapy. Limiting your physical activities like heavy lifting. Using devices like hearing aids or glasses to help with hearing or vision loss.
How soon after treatment will I feel better?
Depending on what treatment you and your healthcare provider choose, you may find relief from mild symptoms soon after taking pain medication or participating in therapy. It could take several weeks to months before you heal from surgery. You may notice your symptoms go away or reduce significantly after surgery. Care at Cleveland Clinic Chiari Malformation Treatment Find a Doctor and Specialists Make an Appointment
Can a Chiari malformation be prevented?
There’s no known way to prevent a Chiari malformation. If you plan on becoming pregnant, talk to your healthcare provider about ways to maintain good health. Your provider may recommend you regularly take vitamins like folic acid to lower your risk of having a child diagnosed with spina bifida. Your provider may suggest genetic testing so you can understand your risk of having a child with a genetic condition.
Is a Chiari malformation serious?
A Chiari malformation can be very serious in some cases, but not all. In most cases, babies are born with a Chiari malformation. However, symptoms aren’t always present, and a diagnosis won’t happen until late childhood or adulthood when a healthcare provider orders an imaging test for another unrelated reason. Although there isn’t a cure for a Chiari malformation, treatment like surgery can help manage your symptoms to help you feel better and prevent life-threatening complications.
What’s the outlook for a Chiari malformation?
Your outlook varies depending on the severity and type of Chiari malformation. It’s important to work closely with your healthcare provider and care team, who can monitor your symptoms and determine the right treatment plan for you.
What is the life expectancy of someone with a Chiari malformation?
If you don’t have symptoms or you have mild symptoms after a Chiari malformation diagnosis, you’ll likely have a normal life expectancy. Severe symptoms and certain types of Chiari malformation can be fatal. Talk to your healthcare provider about what to expect after a diagnosis.
When should I see a healthcare provider?
Visit a healthcare provider if you experience symptoms of a Chiari malformation or if your symptoms get worse. If you have a child with a Chiari malformation and they miss developmental milestones for their age, talk to their provider. After surgery, contact your healthcare provider if you show signs of an infection like severe pain, swelling or your surgical wound not healing. Contact local emergency services or 911 if you or a loved one have a seizure for the first time.
What questions should I ask my doctor?
What type of Chiari malformation do I have? What type of treatment do you recommend? How often do I need imaging tests to monitor the condition? Do you recommend surgery? Are there side effects of the treatment? Will my future children also have this condition?
A note from Cleveland Clinic
A Chiari malformation affects each person differently. You may not have any symptoms or they could be mild and have little interference with your daily routine. Others may experience severe, often disabling symptoms that require surgery. Treatment is available to reduce your symptoms and prevent life-threatening complications for certain types of the condition. If your symptoms don’t improve, get worse or you experience problems like an infection after surgery, contact your healthcare provider. Medically Reviewed Last reviewed by a Cleveland Clinic medical professional on 10/02/2023. Learn more about our editorial process.
Oct 20, 2023 · Causes. Chiari malformation type 1 occurs when part of the skull is too small or is misshapen. This part of the skull contains the area of the brain called the cerebellum. The skull puts pressure on and crowds the brain. As a result, the lower part of the cerebellum known as the tonsils are pushed into the upper spinal canal.
Oct 9, 2024 · dizziness. muscle weakness. numbness. vision problems. headaches. problems with balance and coordination. Chiari malformations affect females more often than males. Scientists once believed that ...
Apr 27, 2022 · Chiari Malformation Symptoms . The symptoms of Chiari malformations can vary by the severity of the defect and may not present in all cases. Generally speaking, newborns, infants, and toddlers will experience more symptoms (and have more rapid deterioration of neurological function) than older children and adults.
Jul 19, 2024 · Chiari malformations (CM) are caused by problems in the structure of the brain and skull. In Chiari malformations, the lower part of the brain presses on and through an opening in the base of the skull and cerebellum into the spinal canal. The cerebellum is the part of the brain that controls balance. Normally the cerebellum and parts of the ...
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Mar 23, 2017 · It’s often brought on by activities like exercising, straining, bending over, and more. Other symptoms include: dizziness. neck pain. numbness or tingling in hands and feet. trouble swallowing ...
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