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Pathological Comorbidities

There are several conditions that can push or pull your cerebellar tonsils down past the foramen magnum creating an "Acquired Chiari Malformation" scenario. If doctors checked for these pathological comorbidities before decompression surgery, decompression surgery might have a better success rate.

CSF Leaks

Spinal leaks can pull your cerebellar tonsils downward creating an "Acquired" Chiari Malformation scenario. Sadly, most doctors get so caught up on the size of the herniation that they seldomly check for leaks that rarely show up on MRI imaging.

Tethered Cord

Having a tethered spinal cord can cause a pulling down of the brainstem and cerebellar tonsils associated with an "Acquired" Chiari Malformation scenario. When decompression surgery creates a larger hole at the base of the skull, it does nothing to solve the pulling down problem created by the tethered cord, and the decompression fails.

Craniocervical Instabiity

Craniocervical Instability is a problem in the way that the skull and C1 are interacting with one another. When this problem exists, it can cause the tonsils to prolapse creating an "Acquired" Chiari Malformation scenario. Failure to deal with this problem before or soon after decompression surgery can lead to a failed decompression.

Intracranial Hypertension

A Chiari Malformation has been recognized as one of the causes of Intracranial Hypertension (IH/IIH), but research has now shown that it can also cause the cerebellar tonsils to fall, creating an "Acquired" Chiari Malformation scenario. Despite recent research, many doctors continue to decompress as a means of relieving the increased pressure, and the decompression fail because the underlying cause failed to be addressed.

Syringomyelia

When a doctor talks about the “most serious” complications surrounding Chiari Malformation, they usually speak of paralysis or death. While both of these are far less common than the array of other symptoms and complications, they both can involve that of a syrinx.