Clinical Manifestations
A less frequent symptom where patients experience sudden collapse without loss of consciousness.
What are drop attacks?
Nerves can become compressed and can cause numbness, tingling, and can affect many other autonomic functions.
Pinched Nerves
Standard cerebellar tonsil descent measurement in diagnosed adult patients below the foramen magnum on MRI.
What is 5mm?
A decompression surgery a surgeon opens the dura which is a membrane on the outside of the brain, to sew a patch to make the membrane bigger so the brain has more room and relives excess pressure.
Duraplasty
There is evidence that this can be passed down through family, but it's not fully understood yet.
What is a hereditary disorder?
When a syrinx forms in the spinal cord and patients lose this type of sensation over the upper torso and arms.
What is the loss of pain and temperature sensation?
Difficulty breathing while asleep
Sleep Apnea
Besides MRI, doctors may choose to use this imaging technique to observe CSF flow to determine the severity
What is phase-contrast cine MRI?
Surgeon can remove a piece of the skull to relieve pressure on the brain and help cerebrospinal fluid flow.
Crainectomy
A famous American Paralympic paratriathlete and gold medalist has this condition
Who is Allysa Seely
Tingling sensation in hands or feet due to disruptions in nerve signaling from the cerebrum or brainstem compression
What is paresthesia?
Loss of sensation, muscle weakness, problems with balance, and poor coordination.
Ataxia
Ideal imaging technology used for diagnosing, since it shows tonsils, syrinx, and skull anatomy clearly
What is an MRI of the brain and cervical spine?
A surgeon can implant a shunt or tube into the skull to collect extra cerebrospinal fluid.
Shunt Placement
A fluid filled cyst can form within the spinal cord
Syrinx
Patients experience pain in the back of the head that worsens with certain maneuvers such as coughing, sneezing, or straining, due to CSF flow restriction at the foramen magnum
What is Valsalva-triggered occipital headache?
Abnormal curvature of the spine (can look like an S or a C)
Scoliosis
When this part of the skull is too small, it causes crowding of the cerebrum and shows symptoms
What is the small posterior fossa?
Taking medication for pain
pain management through medication
Can cause ringing or buzzing in the ears
Tinnitus
A common symptom of pain in the back of the head that gets worse with coughing, sneezing, or straining.
What is an occipital headache?
Feeling like your heart is skipping beats
Palpatations
The first thing done when diagnosing is to measure how far cerebellar tonsils extend past this opening in the base of the skull.
What is the formen magnum?
Using physical methods like exercise, stretching, massage, and heat to improve or restore movement and physical function.
Physical therapy or Massage therapy
Can cause you to feel tired all the time
Chronic Fatigue