Symptoms of a Chiari Malformation
Quite often, a child with a Chiari 1 malformation has no symptoms. Symptoms may not appear until your child is a teenager or young adult. Symptoms may get worse with physical effort or straining, such as coughing. They include:
- Headaches in the back of the head
- Neck pain
- Dizziness
- Numbness
- Pain or tingling in the arms
- Difficulty with small (fine) motor tasks, such as writing or cutting with scissors
- Decreased gag reflex
- A curve in the spine (scoliosis) with an unusual curvature to the left associated with syringomyelia
Chiari 2 malformation symptoms are the same as Chiari 1 malformation, but they are usually worse and occur earlier. Other symptoms of Chiari 2 include:
- Trouble swallowing
- An abnormal, high-pitched sound when breathing in (strider), especially with crying
- Accidentally breathing tiny bits of food, fluids or saliva into the lungs (aspiration)
- Arm weakness, numbness and tingling
Chiari Malformation Diagnosis
Because Chiari 1 malformations often do not cause symptoms, doctors may find it while they are examining your child for another reason. They may find a Chiari 1 malformation when your child has a CT (computed tomography) scan or MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) for another reason.
If doctors think your child might have a Chiari malformation, they will examine your child. They will check:
- Balance
- Reflexes
- Motor skills
- Sense of touch
- Memory
- Thinking
Doctors also use an MRI of the brain and spine to look for Chiari malformations.