Arnold Chiari syndrome treatment and diagnostics abroad

Arnold–Chiari malformation (Chiari syndrome) is a condition in which the cerebellar tonsils, and sometimes the brainstem, extend down into the opening at the base of the skull. This compresses nerve structures and disturbs the flow of cerebrospinal fluid.

Below are pediatric neurosurgery clinics abroad: compare their capabilities, doctors and prices.

Types of Chiari malformation

• Type I — the most common; often appears in adolescence or adulthood, sometimes with syringomyelia (a fluid-filled cavity in the spinal cord).
• Type II — congenital, almost always combined with myelomeningocele (spina bifida) and hydrocephalus.
• Types III–IV — rare severe forms.

Symptoms

Headache at the back of the head that worsens with coughing or straining, neck pain, dizziness, balance problems, numbness in the hands, swallowing problems; in babies — pauses in breathing, a weak cry and feeding difficulties.

Diagnosis

The main test is MRI of the brain and spinal cord; cine MRI assesses fluid flow. CT helps assess the bones before surgery.

Treatment abroad

• Observation — when there are no symptoms and no syringomyelia.
• Posterior fossa decompression — enlarging the opening at the base of the skull, often with a dura patch (duraplasty).
• Treating related conditions — a shunt for hydrocephalus, defect closure for spina bifida.

Clinics are in the pediatric neurosurgery and neurosurgery sections.

Send a request with MRI scans — Clinics Direct coordinators will get a neurosurgeon's opinion and a cost estimate free of charge.