Which TYPE of surgery have you had?

General
1

I am still researching my case.

I have seen one of the best Dr's in the nation, Ulrich Batzdorf. I loved him. He told me i don't have chiari and wouldn't do surgery on me.

I'm still miserable and trying to get other opinions along with Dr Duma and Batzdorf's.

I have found a protege's of Batzdorfs and he listed the types of surgeries performed and it surprised me as all I've heard of is the cutting away the skull.

This is pulled from http://www.dr-virella.com/Chiari-Malformation.html

Treatment

Once symptomatic onset occurs, a common treatment is decompression surgery, in which Dr. Virella usually removes the lamina of the first and sometimes the second or even third cervical vertebrae and part of the occipital bone of the skull to relieve pressure. The flow of spinal fluid may be accompanied by a shunt. Since this surgery usually involves the opening of the dura mater and the expansion of the space beneath, a dural graft is usually applied to cover the expanded posterior fossa.

A small number of neurological surgeons believe that detethering the spinal cord as an alternate approach relieves the compression of the brain against the skull opening (foramen magnum), obviating the need for decompression surgery and associated trauma. However, this approach is significantly less documented in the medical literature, with reports on only a handful of patients. It should be noted that the alternative spinal surgery is also not without risk.[citation needed]

Any thoughts on this.

I'm not wanting surgery. It's the last thing on earth i want but i'm at my last straw.

2

This approach is common- laminectomy, skull decompression, and duraplasty. This is the surgery I had. Also, the tethered cord surgery is common, if you in fact have a tethered cord. Different surgeons have different surgical approaches based on their training and their beliefs about Chiari.
I was told no by a couple of surgeons before I found the right one, and I’m glad I had it done.

Jenn

3

Hi Wonder,

I am definitely not trying to discourage but rather encourage you to go with your gut feeling and find a NS that looks at the symptoms of your chiari then the MRI. I to went to Dr. Batzdorf and he told me the same thing 3 years ago and now fast forward three years I was absolutely confirmed to have a 7mm chiari which is what I was told 3 years ago, but Dr. Batzdorf read the report and looked at MRI and told me the Radiologist who read my CINE MRI was mistaken. I am glad that you had a wonderful experience with him as I did not but I have moved on and trusted my instinct and bottom line I know my body better than any NS that just met me. I pray that you get some solutions and resolve to this!

4

This is the surgery I had. C-1 laminectomy, decompression of the skull, and duraplasty! I agree with Jenn...get several opinions and go with the one you feel most comfortable with.