Chairi I Malformation Diagnosis

When Rachel fell and hit her head the night before school started, we brought her home to monitor her, but the moment she threw up, we went straight to urgent care. Head injuries are nothing to take lightly and I knew throwing up was serious.

After some simple neurological motor skills were performed, the Pediatrician ordered a head CT Scan, to rule out any sub-cranial bleeding, or other injury as a result of where she hit her head (the back).

While the head CT scan came back negative in regards to any further injury as a result of her fall, it did come back that a brain anomaly (abnormality) was found,  specifically a Chiari Malformation could not be ruled out. We followed up with our Pediatrician the very next day and he sent us for a neurologist consult.

We saw the neurologist a few weeks later and he ordered a full set of spinal x-rays, a brain MRI, and a c-spine MRI, all to rule out any brain malformations, any spine malformations, and Spinia Bifida.

The Xrays we did immediately following Rachel's appointment. The MRI's we had to first wait for the authorizations from our insurance and then get the appointments scheduled. She had the MRIs on September 7th.

I knew what to tell Rachel in regards of what to expect for these major tests as my Mom has had the very same tests done in the last six months, both in which I accompanied her into the room for. I was so proud of Rachel, she laid perfectly still for both tests, which was about 45 minutes.

Last week, I spoke with Rachel's neurologist on the phone in regards to her results. While the MRI's were negative for Spinia Bifida, and any other issues, the MRI's did confirm Rachel has a brain malformation called Chiari Malformation.

Because this was found on 'accident', via the head CT Scan, her specific diagnosis is Chiari I Malformation. She's been asymptotic all these years and the diagnosis wouldn't have been made other than by accident, such as the CT Scan as a result of her falling on her head.

When we first learned of the possibility of the diagnosis, I contacted Rachel's speech therapist. She's very knowledgeable in a vast area of medical things, specifically anything related to clefts. She assured us that this condition is fairly common among kids who have been born with clefts. And while we were  confident that if a diagnosis was confirmed, she's been perfectly normal the last 8 years, and we knew if she did have it, it wouldn't be something to worry over. But it was comforting to know it's a diagnosis sometimes seen with those born with a cleft of some sort.

This website, Chiari I Malformation, gives a very simple, yet very helpful explanation of it.

Our Speech Therapist said the information is good to have. It's nothing that needs to be kept out on the dresser of our brains so to speak, but definitely kept in a drawer. It's important information to give to any surgeon and anesthesiologist who touches Rachel in the future. It's important information they need to know in order to position her head when intubated for any future surgeries.

We have a return appointment with the Neurologist on November 1st, just to follow up.