Relationship of Morphometrics and Symptom Severity in Female Type I Chiari Malformation Patients with Biological Resilience.

In the present study we report the relationship among MRI-based skull and cervical spine morphometric measures as well as symptom severity (disability-as measured by Oswestry Head and Neck Pain Scale and social isolation-as measured by the UCLA Loneliness scale) on biomarkers of allostatic load using estrogen, interleukin-6, C-reactive protein, and cortisol in a sample of 46 CMI patients. Correlational analyses showed that McRae line length was negatively associated with interleukin-6 and C-reactive protein levels, and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) showed joint effects of morphometric measures (McRae line length, anterior CSF space) and symptom severity (disability and loneliness) on estrogen and intereukin-6 levels. These results are consistent with allostatic load. That is, when the combination of CSF crowding and self-report symptom (disability and loneliness) severity exceed the capacity of biological resilience factors, then biomarkers such as neuroprotective estrogen levels drop, rather than rise, with increasing symptom severity.

Association between resistance to cerebrospinal fluid flow and cardiac-induced brain tissue motion for Chiari malformation type I.

PURPOSE: Chiari malformation type I (CMI) patients have been independently shown to have both increased resistance to cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flow in the cervical spinal canal and greater cardiac-induced neural tissue motion compared to healthy controls. The goal of this paper is to determine if a relationship exists between CSF flow resistance and brain tissue motion in CMI subjects. METHODS: Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) techniques were employed to compute integrated longitudinal impedance (ILI) as a measure of unsteady resistance to CSF flow in the cervical spinal canal in thirty-two CMI subjects and eighteen healthy controls. Neural tissue motion during the cardiac cycle was assessed using displacement encoding with stimulated echoes (DENSE) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique. RESULTS: The results demonstrate a positive correlation between resistance to CSF flow and the maximum displacement of the cerebellum for CMI subjects (r = 0.75, p = 6.77 × 10-10) but not for healthy controls. No correlation was found between CSF flow resistance and maximum displacement in the brainstem for CMI or healthy subjects. The magnitude of resistance to CSF flow and maximum cardiac-induced brain tissue motion were not statistically different for CMI subjects with and without the presence of five CMI symptoms: imbalance, vertigo, swallowing difficulties, nausea or vomiting, and hoarseness. CONCLUSION: This study establishes a relationship between CSF flow resistance in the cervical spinal canal and cardiac-induced brain tissue motion in the cerebellum for CMI subjects. Further research is necessary to understand the importance of resistance and brain tissue motion in the symptomatology of CMI.

The Relationship Between Imbalance Symptom and Cardiac Pulsation Induced Mechanical Strain in the Brainstem and Cerebellum for Chiari Malformation Type I.

Chiari malformation Type I (CMI) is known to have an altered biomechanical environment for the brainstem and cerebellum; however, it is unclear whether these altered biomechanics play a role in the development of CMI symptoms. We hypothesized that CMI subjects have a higher cardiac-induced strain in specific neurological tracts pertaining to balance, and postural control. We measured displacement over the cardiac cycle using displacement encoding with stimulated echoes magnetic resonance imaging in the cerebellum, brainstem, and spinal cord in 37 CMI subjects and 25 controls. Based on these measurements, we computed strain, translation, and rotation in tracts related to balance. The global strain on all tracts was small (<1%) for CMI subject and controls. Strain was found to be nearly doubled in three tracts for CMI subjects compared to controls (p < 0.03). The maximum translation and rotation were ∼150 µm and ∼1 deg, respectively and 1.5-2 times greater in CMI compared to controls in four tracts (p < 0.005). There was no significant difference between strain, translation, and rotation on the analyzed tracts in CMI subjects with imbalance compared to those without imbalance. A moderate correlation was found between cerebellar tonsillar position and strain on three tracts. The lack of statistically significant difference between strain in CMI subjects with and without imbalance could imply that the magnitude of the observed cardiac-induced strain was too small to cause substantial damage to the tissue (<1%). Activities such as coughing, or Valsalva may produce a greater strain.

Transient Decrease in Cerebrospinal Fluid Motion Is Related to Cough-Associated Headache in Chiari I Malformation.

BACKGROUND: Short-lasting cough-associated headache (CAH) in patients with Chiari I malformation (CMI) is believed to be due to transient worsening of cerebrospinal flow (CSF) obstruction at the foramen magnum. We assessed changes in CSF flow in response to coughing in CMI patients with CAH and compared with those without CAH and healthy participants (HPs) using real-time magnetic resonance imaging. METHODS: Seventeen CMI patients (12 with CAH, 5 without CAH) and 6 HPs were prospectively assessed using real-time pencil-beam imaging magnetic resonance sequence. A 64-mm length pencil-beam imaging cylinder was placed at the craniocervical junction. CSF stroke volume (SVCSF) was assessed during resting, postcoughing, and relaxation phases via a 90-second scan. SVCSF was measured at 6 levels at 5-mm intervals between 10 and 35 mm below the foramen magnum. During each phase, SVCSF was compared between CMI with and without CAH and HPs and corrected for multiple comparisons. RESULTS: At multiple consecutive levels, postcoughing SVCSF was significantly lower in CMI with CAH compared with both CMI without CAH and HP (P < 0.05). No differences in postcoughing SVCSF were seen between CMI without CAH and HP. At rest or relaxation phase, no differences in SVCSF were seen between patients with and without CAH but minimal differences were seen between CMI with CAH and HP. CONCLUSIONS: A decrease in CSF flow after coughing in CMI patients with CAH supports the notion that CAH is caused by transient worsening of CSF flow obstruction at the foramen magnum.

The Effect of Posterior Fossa Decompression Surgery on Brainstem and Cervical Spinal Cord Dimensions in Adults with Chiari Malformation Type 1.

OBJECTIVE: Posterior fossa decompression (PFD) surgery creates more space at the skull base, reduces the resistance to the cerebrospinal fluid motion, and alters craniocervical biomechanics. In this paper, we retrospectively examined the changes in neural tissue dimensions following PFD surgery on Chiari malformation type 1 adults. METHODS: Measurements were performed on T2-weighted brain magnetic resonance images acquired before and 4 months after surgery. Measurements were conducted for neural tissue volume and spinal cord/brainstem width at 4 different locations; 2 width measurements were made on the brainstem and 2 on the spinal cord in the midsagittal plane. Cerebellar tonsillar position (CTP) was also measured before and after surgery. RESULTS: Twenty-five adult patients, with a mean age of 38.9 ± 8.8 years, were included in the study. The cervical cord volume increased by an average of 2.3 ± 3.3% (P = 0.002). The width at the pontomedullary junction increased by 2.2 ± 3.5% (P < 0.01), while the width 10 mm caudal to this junction increased by 4.2 ± 3.9% (P < 0.0001). The spinal cord width at the base of second cervical vertebra and third cervical vertebra did not significantly change after surgery. The CTP decreased by 60 ± 37% (P < 0.0001) after surgery, but no correlation was found between CTP change and dimension change. CONCLUSIONS: The brainstem width and cervical cord volume showed a modest increase after PFD surgery, although standard deviations were large. A reduction in compression after PFD surgery may allow for an increase in neural tissue dimension. However, clinical relevance is unclear and should be assessed in future studies with high-resolution imaging.