The complex Chiari malformation: an evolution of understanding

Excerpt

In the article, “Magnetic Resonance Imaging Features of Complex Chiari Malformation Variant of Chiari 1 Malformation,” Moore and Moore [1] describe the radiologic findings associated with a variation of the typical Chiari 1 disorder. They examined 151 patients identified with Chiari 1 malformation from a large imaging database and subclassified them as either “standard Chiari 1 malformation” or “complex Chiari malformation.” Various radiologic parameters were then analyzed in a standardized fashion in each subcategory. The authors found that obex level was significantly associated with the complex Chiari malformation type and that complex Chiari malformation was strongly associated with more severe craniocervical pathology in general, such as a kyphotic craniocervical angle. Further analysis revealed that patients in the complex Chiari malformation group had a significant chance of requiring more frequent and complex surgical interventions than their Chiari 1 malformation counterparts. …