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Chiari Malformation

Chiari Malformation (pronounced key-ARE-ee) is a condition in which brain tissue protrudes into your spinal canal. It occurs when part of your skull is abnormally small or misshaped, pressing on your brain and forcing it downward.
There is no cure.

Doctors categorize Chiari malformation into four types, depending on the anatomy of the brain tissue that is displaced into the spinal canal, and whether developmental abnormalities of the brain or spine are present.
Many people with Chiari malformation have no signs or symptoms and don't need treatment. Their condition is detected only when tests are performed for unrelated disorders. However, depending on the type and severity, Chiari malformation can cause a number of problems.
The more common types of Chiari malformation are:

Type I (adult)
Type II (pediatric)
In Chiari malformation type I, signs and symptoms usually appear during late childhood or adulthood. Chiari II malformation is usually noted by ultrasound during pregnancy or at birth or early infancy. Although these types are less serious than the more rare pediatric forms, types III and IV, signs and symptoms still can be life disrupting.

Chiari malformation type I
Headaches, often severe, are the classic symptom of Chiari malformation. They're typically precipitated with sudden coughing, sneezing or straining. People with Chiari malformation type I also can experience:

Neck pain (running down the shoulders at times)
Unsteady gait (problems with balance)
Poor hand coordination (fine motor skills)
Numbness and tingling of the hands and feet
Dizziness
Difficulty swallowing (sometimes accompanied by gagging, choking and vomiting)
Vision problems (blurred or double vision)
Slurred speech
Less often, people with Chiari malformation may experience:
Ringing or buzzing in the ears (tinnitus)
Poor bladder control
Chest pain, in a band-like pattern around the chest
Curvature of the spine (scoliosis) related to spinal cord impairment
Abnormal breathing — specifically, sleep apnea characterized by periods of breathing cessation during sleep

Chiari malformation type II
In Chiari malformation type II, a greater amount of tissue protrudes into the spinal canal compared with type I. The signs and symptoms can include those related to a form of spina bifida, called myelomeningocele, that always accompanies Chiari II malformation. In myelomeningocele, the backbone and the spinal canal have not closed properly before birth.

Chiari malformation type III
In one of the most severe types of the condition, Chiari malformation type III, a portion of the lower back part of the brain (cerebellum) or the brainstem extends through an abnormal opening in the back of the skull. This form of Chiari malformation is obvious at birth or by intrauterine ultrasound.

Chiari malformation type IV
In people with the even more severe Chiari malformation type IV, the brain itself has never developed normally. This form is also obvious at birth or by intrauterine ultrasound.

In July 2008 our lives changed forever. Wesley was diagnosed with Chiari Malformation. He had decompression brain surgery in July 2008. In August 2008 he had a complication from the surgery and now is dependent on a shunt for the rest of his life. He has had four shunt revisions. He has been in the ER more then we can count and has had countless other procedures done. Because of his very small vesticles he will be having revisions very often. He lives in pain everyday.

We now have just learned that our four year old daugther Kyra has Chiari. We have just learned that she needs brain surgery. We can BEAT Chiari together!