Sleep apnea represents a relative indication for posterior fossa decompression in pediatric patients with Chiari malformation type 1. Duraplasty was associated with improvement of sleep apnea in 100% of patients and dural splitting with improvement in 50% of patients. Duraplasty and dural splitting were associated with a similar reduction in tonsillar herniation on radiographic imaging of 58% (37% excluding tonsillectomy) and 35%, respectively. Longitudinal follow-up studies of patients with either neurologic deficits or severe symptoms will further elucidate the natural history of Chiari malformation type 1 and more appropriately gauge the risk-benefit tradeoff of surgical intervention.
Keywords: Chiari malformation; Dural splitting; Duraplasty; Sleep apnea.
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