Gabor Racz Author

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Innovative Treatment for Pre- Operative Occipital Nerve Pain Associated with Chiari 0 Malformation

Author(s):

Mark Stephens, Erin King, Tuong Vy Dang, Laszlo Nagy and Gabor Racz

Chiari 0 malformation is a disorder within the spectrum of Arnold- Chiari malformations characterized by cerebellar changes present during fetal development and early childhood. Specifically, Chiari 0 is classified by characteristics that include either lack of protrusion of the cerebellar tonsils into the foramen magnum or protrusion less than 5 millimeters, which is the current minimum cutoff for Chiari I classification. Due to the subtle changes in the cerebellar region regarding Chiari 0, patients with this malformation often present with neck and occipital pain along with occipital headaches. It is suggested that this may be due to abnormal blockage of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) that causes entrapment and impingement of the occipital nerve. In the cases of two teenage patients, both... view more»

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