Nghe An General Hospital successfully treated a patient with the rare Arnold Chiari Syndrome.

Accordingly, about 3 months before being admitted to the hospital, the patient began to have headaches and neck pain, then numbness and weakness in the right hand. The patient bought medicine and sought treatment in many places but it did not help. The symptoms became more and more severe, the patient could not hold a bowl to eat, could not write, and could not do his job as a driving instructor.

On July 20, 2024, the patient went to the hospital and was transferred to Nghe An General Hospital. After examination and consultation, the patient was diagnosed with Arnold chiari syndrome, a very rare syndrome (Ratio 1/10,000 people).

Arnold Chiari Syndrome occurs when the cerebellar tonsils herniate into the foramen magnum of the skull into the cervical spine, causing compression of the brain and spinal cord. If not detected and treated promptly, patients with this syndrome may suffer serious injuries such as: motor paralysis, sensory disturbances... lifelong disability, even death.

On July 24, the surgical team led by Master, Doctor Ngo Van Thanh performed surgery on the patient using the occipito-cervical plastic surgery method. The surgery lasted more than 2 hours, with a very complicated surgical method of craniofacial surgery combined with high cervical spine surgery, because this position contains many important and dangerous components such as: cerebellum, 4th ventricle, PICA artery, vertebral artery, cervical cord...

During the surgery, a part of the skull in the posterior fossa was removed, along with the posterior arch of the C1 vertebra being cut to free the cervical spine, the dura mater was opened to remove the fibrous adhesions, a part of the cerebellar tonsils was cut to relieve compression, and the dura mater was formed with fascia and artificial dura mater.

After 8 days of post-operative treatment, the patient's condition improved well, hand strength improved a lot, numbness and contraction were reduced, the patient was able to hold a pen to write, hold a bowl to eat rice, the patient was happy and was discharged from the hospital.

Nowadays, diseases of the brain and spine are increasingly complex. Early detection and accurate diagnosis, choosing appropriate treatment methods have contributed to improving the quality of life for patients.

Surgery for patients with Arnold Chiari Syndrome is a difficult technique, requiring experienced doctors, high expertise and modern equipment to achieve the best results. The Department of Spinal Neurosurgery, Nghe An General Hospital is always a prestigious and reliable address for patients to choose for examination and treatment./.