Does anyone know if Cerebellar Tonsillar Ectopia 5mm is the same as Chiari I Malformation?
This was noted on my brain MRI & cervical MRI without & with contrast recently on 1/28/13. I had MRI scans completed last summer 2012 due to herniated disc so my neurosurgeon at that time had requested MRI scans of my complete spine and the cerebellar tonsillar ectopia 5mm was not noted. Also, at that time I had spinal cord edema at my T12-L1 along with herniated disc throughout my spine. I started to experience these symptoms below a month after my surgery which has increased tremendously over time.
-Weakness-fingers, hands, arms, legs.
-Numbness & Tingling-fingers, hands, lips, tongue.
-Eye, blurred vision flashes of light & shadows or dark figures out the corner of my eyes. Bright lights such as the sun can bring on sudden headaches.
-Head, headaches with pressure at my temple area or behind my eyes, back of head.
-Tremors/Shaking, fingers, hands, arms, head, upper thighs.
-Memory Loss, short-term memory is horrible.
-Brain Fog, this occurs after tremors/shaking from anywhere to minutes to hours afterwards.
-Discoloration of fingers, hand, arms, lips sometimes after tremor/shaking. It is a splotchy color of white, blue, & red.
-Lack of Coordination-balance off
-Major Fatigue, this occurs on a daily basis, but is extreme after I have tried to do anything physical such as walking for a while or on my feet all day. I will be down for days afterwards with pain and fatigue.
-Skin, sensitive to the touch lower and upper arms, upper thighs, feet, head.
-Constipation along with frequent urination.
I am currently being followed by a different neurologist that I was referred to by my rheumatologist. The new neurologist has said I have symptoms of MS, but since I don't have brain lesions he would not diagnosis me with it. He said he would treat my symptoms and basically experiment with medications to see if any work with helping my symptoms.
He totally dismissed the MRI that was done stating the 5mm cerebellar tonsillar ectopia. I found out about it because I always request my records and keep them all together. After researching what this was it looks like it can be the same thing as Chiari I or at least have the same symptoms. I am in the process of trying to get an appointment to consult with a Chiari I specialist in Florida to discuss this.
Does anyone know if Cerebellar Tonsillar Ectopia 5mm is the same as Chiari I Malformation?