# Chiari surgeon

**URL:** <https://forum.chiarisupport.org/t/chiari-surgeon/5718>\
**Category:** Physician Recommendations (Positive Review Only)\
**Created:** [January 22, 2015, 7:55pm UTC](https://forum.chiarisupport.org/t/chiari-surgeon/5718 "2015-01-22T19:55:07Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Lindsay](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex027/user_avatar/forum.chiarisupport.org/lindsay/32/1128_2.png) [@Lindsay](https://forum.chiarisupport.org/u/Lindsay)\
**Post date:** [January 22, 2015, 7:55pm UTC](https://forum.chiarisupport.org/t/chiari-surgeon/5718/1 "2015-01-22T19:55:07Z")

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Who is the best NS when it comes to Chiari? East cost preferably as I live in VA. I do have family in Pittsburgh. I am having major issues and want to see someone who is knowledgeable, thorough, and understanding. I have had surgery with 2 different neurosurgeons and it seems like neither really knows why I’m having issues again/still/currently. I’m “fixed” in their opinion.

Chiari decompression in 2012  
ACDF in 2914

Thanks for reading 🙂

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**Author:** ![Lindsay](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex027/user_avatar/forum.chiarisupport.org/lindsay/32/1128_2.png) [@Lindsay](https://forum.chiarisupport.org/u/Lindsay)\
**Post date:** [January 22, 2015, 7:56pm UTC](https://forum.chiarisupport.org/t/chiari-surgeon/5718/2 "2015-01-22T19:56:10Z")

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Sorry , ACDF in 2014

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**Author:** ![Nikki1](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex027/user_avatar/forum.chiarisupport.org/nikki1/32/3133_2.png) [@Nikki1](https://forum.chiarisupport.org/u/Nikki1)\
**Post date:** [January 22, 2015, 8:29pm UTC](https://forum.chiarisupport.org/t/chiari-surgeon/5718/3 "2015-01-22T20:29:08Z")

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Hi Lindsay. I’m new to chiari so Im definitely interested to hear others weigh in but Ive heard good things about dr friedlander and dr sekula at upmc in pa.

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**Author:** ![jcdemar](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex027/user_avatar/forum.chiarisupport.org/jcdemar/32/1226_2.png) [@jcdemar](https://forum.chiarisupport.org/u/jcdemar)\
**Post date:** [January 22, 2015, 11:50pm UTC](https://forum.chiarisupport.org/t/chiari-surgeon/5718/4 "2015-01-22T23:50:57Z")

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Lindsay, you are still having issues I am so sorry. It’s a very hard thing to go through surgery and still not be ahead of the symptoms. I know you did not mention a syrinx, and that’s ok, but I’m going to paste a response from another post that I think is fitting…EDS and CCI.

Ehlers Danlos Syndrome is a hypermobility disorder. A collagen elastin problem causes soft tissues to stretchy and lax. Lax ligaments allow CRANIO cervical joint and lower cervical joints to become unstable. This instability will Streatch, and deform spinal cord and or brain stem. Symptoms mimic Chiari, most NSs are not aware of Cranio cervical instability in Chiari patients, so don’t screen for it. CCI is present with about 20% of chiarians. There several kinds of CCI: vertebrael instability (translational movement), basilar invagination, retroflexed odontoid, sharp clivo-axial angle.

The NSs who diagnose and treat CCI in chiari patients are:

Henderson, MD  
Sandhu, MD  
Patel, SC  
Rosner, NC  
Bolognese, NY  
TCI, NY  
Trumble, FL  
Frim, IL

I’m sure there others who I have not heard about.

These are some great videos about EDS and CCI  
[CSFinfo.org](http://CSFinfo.org)  
Videos  
Greater metro area  
All videos about Chiari/CCI/EDS  
Google the Beighton Criteria and the Beighton Criteria to get an idea of how EDS is diagnosed.

Keep at it you will find the help you need…

Jenn