title: Complex Chiari Malformations in Children: Diagnosis and Management.
abstract: This article describes the diagnosis and management of patients with complex Chiari malformations. This group of patients cannot be categorized as a Chiari 1 or 1.5 because the pathology and progression of their disease is unique. The authors discuss how to diagnose and treat patients with complex Chiari malformations, particularly with regard to discerning which patients would benefit from a simple Chiari decompression versus Chiari decompression with occipitocervical fusion.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Primary Children's Hospital, University of Utah, 100 Mario Capecchi Drive, Salt Lake City, UT 84113, USA. Electronic address: Douglas.Brockmeyer@hsc.utah.edu.
authors.forename: Douglas L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Brockmeyer
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Primary Children's Hospital, University of Utah, 100 Mario Capecchi Drive, Salt Lake City, UT 84113, USA.
authors.forename: Heather S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Spader
mesh_terms: D001139:Arnold-Chiari Malformation / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery*; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae / Q000601:surgery*; D002648:Child; D019299:Decompression, Surgical / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care / Q000379:methods; D013123:Spinal Fusion / Q000379:methods; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: Basilar invagination; Clivocervical angle; Complex Chiari; Retroflexed odontoid