Replay of: Live Webcast Showcases Neurosurgery for Headache-Causing Chiari Malformation

Pediatric neurosurgeon Stephen A. Fletcher, D.O., will treat a Chiari malformation during a live, global Webcast from Memorial Hermann Children's Hospital in Houston, Texas.

First Seen Live Webcast: March 16, 2005 at 5:30 pm CST (23:30 UTC)

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Memorial Hermann Hospital & Memorial Hermann Children's Hospital

Houston, Texas - Severe headaches in the lower back of the head are the most common childhood symptom of Chiari malformation, according to Ian Butler, M.D., vice-chairman of the neurology department at Memorial Hermann Hospital and director of the pediatric neurology division at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston. On Wed., March 16 at 5:30 p.m. CST, Butler's colleague, pediatric neurosurgeon Stephen A. Fletcher, D.O., treated a Chiari malformation during a live, global Webcast from Memorial Hermann Children's Hospital in Houston, Texas. Watch the archive today by clicking the view live webcast button.

	Neurosurgery

In Chiari malformations, parts of the cerebellum extend into the spinal canal, increasing pressure and inhibiting the flow of spinal fluid. Two small protrusions at the base of the cerebellum, called tonsils, are normally positioned inside the skull. In the Type I Chiari malformation, the most common and least severe form of the condition, the tonsils extend down into the spinal canal. In more severe forms, additional structures of the brain may migrate downward as well.

Neurosurgery

"The cerebellar tonsils act like a cork in a bottle. If the cork is too tight, the spinal fluid can't move like it should," explained Fletcher, chief of pediatric neurosurgery at Memorial Hermann Children's Hospital and section chief of pediatric neurosurgery at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston. "Head injuries can cause even more compression and magnify the problem."