ArticleWorld neurosurgery2023
The Effect of Posterior Fossa Decompression Surgery on Brainstem and Cervical Spinal Cord Dimensions in Adults with Chiari Malformation Type 1.
Article in World neurosurgery, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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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.
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 1 citations in OpenAlex.
- From gene to geometry: the molecular morphogenesis of the fourth ventricle angle and its role in predicting brainstem dysfunction among Chiari I malformation patients.Child's nervous system : ChNS : official journal of the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery · 2026Pooled it
- The symptom spectrum: preoperative symptom-related indicators of surgical outcomes for adult type 1 chiari malformation.Neurosurgical review · 2026Article
- An examination of atlanto-occipital curvature in adult Chiari malformation type 1 and control groups.Journal of craniovertebral junction & spineArticle
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Authors and funding
8 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
objectivePosterior fossa decompression (PFD) surgery creates more space at the skull base, reduces the resistance to the cerebrospinal fluid motion, and alters craniocervical biomechanics. In this paper, we retrospectively examined the changes in neural tissue dimensions following PFD surgery on Chiari malformation type 1 adults.
methodsMeasurements were performed on T2-weighted brain magnetic resonance images acquired before and 4 months after surgery. Measurements were conducted for neural tissue volume and spinal cord/brainstem width at 4 different locations; 2 width measurements were made on the brainstem and 2 on the spinal cord in the midsagittal plane. Cerebellar tonsillar position (CTP) was also measured before and after surgery.
resultsTwenty-five adult patients, with a mean age of 38.9 ± 8.8 years, were included in the study. The cervical cord volume increased by an average of 2.3 ± 3.3% (P = 0.002). The width at the pontomedullary junction increased by 2.2 ± 3.5% (P < 0.01), while the width 10 mm caudal to this junction increased by 4.2 ± 3.9% (P < 0.0001). The spinal cord width at the base of second cervical vertebra and third cervical vertebra did not significantly change after surgery. The CTP decreased by 60 ± 37% (P < 0.0001) after surgery, but no correlation was found between CTP change and dimension change.
conclusionsThe brainstem width and cervical cord volume showed a modest increase after PFD surgery, although standard deviations were large. A reduction in compression after PFD surgery may allow for an increase in neural tissue dimension. However, clinical relevance is unclear and should be assessed in future studies with high-resolution imaging.
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