Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33981879›Full record

ArticleHeliyon2021

Cerebellar tonsillar descent: A diagnostic dilemma between Chiari malformation type 1 and spinal cerebrospinal fluid leak.

Tommy Lik Hang Chan, Kiven Vuong, Tara Chugh, Ian Carroll

Open access · goldAbstract readCase Reports
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Heliyon, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
0.3field-weighted citation impact, top 39% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed, 6 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Review
  2. Article
  3. Review
  4. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.

Tommy Lik Hang ChanDepartment of Clinical Neurological Sciences, Western University, Ontario, Canada.
Kiven VuongWestern University, Ontario, Canada.
Tara ChughDepartment of Anesthesia, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, USA.
Ian CarrollDepartment of Anesthesia, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, USA.
Palo Alto University · USWestern University · CA

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Cerebellar tonsillar descent can be seen on head magnetic resonance imaging in both Chiari malformation type 1 and spinal cerebrospinal fluid leak creating the potential for misdiagnosis. We report five cases of spinal cerebrospinal fluid leak at Stanford University initially misdiagnosed and treated as Chiari malformation type 1 based on cerebellar tonsillar descent demonstrated on imaging. All five cases had sustained relief at the 6-month follow up visit from epidural blood patches for the treatment of spinal cerebrospinal leak after unsuccessful suboccipital decompression surgeries. A misdiagnosis of Chiari malformation type 1 in patients with spinal cerebrospinal fluid leak may lead to unnecessary surgeries instead of the less invasive treatment, such as epidural blood patches. It is imperative to consider a spinal cerebrospinal fluid leak in the differential based on clinical-radiological correlation and not solely on cerebellar tonsillar descent demonstrated on imaging.

Indexed as

Cerebellar tonsillar descentCerebrospinal fluid leakChiari malformation type 1Chronic headachesOrthostatic headaches

Identifiers

PMID33981879
PMCPMC8082209
OpenAlexW3155920099

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.