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J Neurol Surg A Cent Eur Neurosurg 2023; 84(03): 285-287
DOI: 10.1055/s-0041-1725959
Case Report

Chiari Type I Malformation Presenting with Unilateral Hearing Loss

Abdulhamid Ciçek 
1   Department of Neurosurgery, AZ Delta, Roeselare, Belgium
2   Department of Neurosurgery, Jan Yperman Hospital, Ypres, Belgium
,
Jeroen Cortier
1   Department of Neurosurgery, AZ Delta, Roeselare, Belgium
,
Sarah Hendrickx
1   Department of Neurosurgery, AZ Delta, Roeselare, Belgium
,
Johan Van Cauwenbergh
3   Department of Neurology, Jan Yperman Hospital, Ypres, Belgium
,
Lien Calus
4   Department of Ear, Nose and Throat Surgery, Jan Yperman Hospital, Ypres, Belgium
,
Johan Dehem
5   Department of Radiology, Jan Yperman Hospital, Ypres, Belgium
,
Dimitri Vanhauwaert
1   Department of Neurosurgery, AZ Delta, Roeselare, Belgium
2   Department of Neurosurgery, Jan Yperman Hospital, Ypres, Belgium
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Abstract

Introduction Chiari type I malformations can present in different ways, but the most frequent symptom is an occipitocervical headache. Hearing loss as the main presenting symptom is rare.

Case A young woman with progressive left-sided unilateral hearing loss was diagnosed with a Chiari type I malformation. She underwent a suboccipital craniectomy with C1 laminectomy and duraplasty. The hearing loss had resolved postoperatively with normalization of the audiometry.

Conclusion Chiari type I malformation can present solely with hearing loss. Improvement after surgical decompression is possible. This phenomenon is not emphasized well enough within the neurologic community. In this report, we present a summary of the pathophysiology and management in Chiari type I malformations.

Keywords

chiari - hearing loss - decompression


Publication History

Received: 29 October 2020

Accepted: 16 December 2020

Article published online:
07 June 2021

© 2021. Thieme. All rights reserved.

Georg Thieme Verlag KG
Rüdigerstraße 14, 70469 Stuttgart, Germany

 

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