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Chiari without high pressure?

Is it possible to have chiari without additional high intracranial pressure?
And in that case is it still symptomatic?

Anyone who has chiari but no signs of high pressure on MRI, like empty sella, flattened eye bottoms, turtle arc etc?

http://eradiology.bidmc.harvard.edu/LearningLab/central/Dyer.pdf
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620923 tn?1452915648
COMMUNITY LEADER

  Hi...I was not DX with IIH....and I was still symptomatic with Chiari and EDS and tethered cord symptoms....

not sure if that is what u mean?
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Avatar universal
Ok, I am not sure what I mean.

But symptoms from the eye for example, they are because of elevated pressure I guess. Is it possible to have chiari and be symptomatic but without any signs of high pressure, no eye symptoms, no empty sella for example. No signs of high pressure on the MRI but still visible low tonsils?
Is it possible?

I guess some chiari are discovered accidentally and they have probably not (yet) caused high pressure.. But then they are asymptomatic.
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620923 tn?1452915648
COMMUNITY LEADER

  I did not have empty sella. and I do have eye issues, but not to the extent those with IIH have....

The thing is Chiari is not the herniation, but the malformation of the skull that alone causes over crowding and the tonsils to herniate...it is the herniation that can cause an obstruction of CSF ....and that can cause intermittent IIH...

  Some post op continue to have IIH and others do not,...at least that is my understanding of it...that it can build while flow is blocked and release as the flow is restored.....

Those with high pressure then to be over producing CSF or the body is not absorbing it like it should...not all of us have this issue...but we can have a build up of pressure when the flow is blocked, and that can cause symptoms like drop attacks....

Chiari symptoms cycle too, so some may feel they passed out bcuz of the flu, or being over tired and not realize they have symptoms of a condition...as I do not feel those with Chiari are asymptomatic, I feel they just have not connected all their issues together.

Again this is the way I understand this condition to affect us.....
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Avatar universal
Selma, you say you didn't have empty sella. Did you have flattened eye bottoms? Anything seen on your optic nerve sheet?
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620923 tn?1452915648
COMMUNITY LEADER

  No none of that was reported to me and not that I remember....
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