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    Chiari Malformations, A Simple Guide To The Condition, Diagnosis, Treatment And Related Conditions
    Chiari Malformations, A Simple Guide To The Condition, Diagnosis, Treatment And Related Conditions
    Chiari Malformations, A Simple Guide To The Condition, Diagnosis, Treatment And Related Conditions
    Ebook88 pages1 hour

    Chiari Malformations, A Simple Guide To The Condition, Diagnosis, Treatment And Related Conditions

    By Kenneth Kee

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    About this ebook

    This book describes Chiari Malformations, Diagnosis and Treatment and Related Diseases
    A Chiari malformation, previously known as Arnold-Chiari malformation, occurs when the lower part of the brain pushes down into the spinal canal.
    A person with Chiari has the lowest part of the back of the brain extending into the spinal canal.
    This can apply pressure on the brainstem, spinal cord, and block the flow of fluid.
    These defects form during fetal development.
    Because of genetic mutations or a maternal diet that lacked certain nutrients, the indented bony space at the base of the skull is unusually small.
    As a result, there is increased pressure applied on the cerebellum.
    This obstructs the flow of the cerebrospinal fluid.
    Causes
    The exact cause of Chiari malformations is not known.
    It is likely to be present from birth, but is normally only found in adulthood when symptoms form or when an MRI scan is done.
    Many patients are believed to be the result of part of the skull not sufficiently large for the brain.
    4 types of Chiari malformations:
    Type I is the most often observed form in children.
    In this type, the lower part of the cerebellum but not the brain stem spreads into an opening at the base of the skull called the foramen magnum.
    Normally, only the spinal cord passes through this skull opening.
    Type I is the only form of Chiari malformation that can be acquired
    Type II is normally only observed in children born with spina bifida.
    Spina bifida is the incomplete formation of the spinal cord and its protective covering.
    Type III is the most severe form of Chiari malformation.
    It induces the protrusion or herniation of the brain stem and cerebellum through the foramen magnum and into the spinal cord.
    Type IV is not normally compatible with life.
    This affects an incomplete or undeveloped cerebellum.
    Symptoms
    Patients with mild Chiari malformations may have no symptoms
    Others may have symptoms:
    Dizziness
    Feeling and being sick
    Hearing loss and tinnitus
    Muscle weakness
    Numbness or tingling in the arms or legs
    Vision problems
    Headaches
    Neck pain
    Diagnosis:
    The doctor will also examine functions regulated by the cerebellum and spinal cord:
    Balance
    Touch
    Reflexes
    Sensation
    Motor skills
    The doctor may perform diagnostic tests, such as:
    X-ray of chest and brain or spine
    CT scan of brain
    MRI of brain
    MRI is the imaging study of choice
    Treatment
    There is no medical treatment for Chiari malformations other than painkillers,
    Only surgery may help improve the symptoms and prolong the life of patients.
    The purpose of surgery is to stop any occurring symptoms from getting any worse.
    Some people also have an improvement in their symptoms, mostly their headaches.
    The surgery occasionally leads to no improvement or the symptoms getting worse.
    There is also a small danger of severe complications, such as paralysis or a stroke
    The treatment for Chiari I malformation is dependent on whether the patient has any symptoms and how serious they are.
    If Chiari malformations produce no symptoms and do not disrupt activities of daily living, no treatment is required.
    In other cases, painkillers can be used to treat symptoms such as pain.
    If the headaches are serious or the patient has disorders caused by the pressure on the spinal cord (such as movement difficulties), surgery may be advised.
    Surgery is the only treatment that can rectify functional defects or stop the progress of injury to the central nervous system.
    Only Types I and II can be treated.
    Type III Chiari normally dies during early childhood.
    Type IV Chiari malformation is not compatible with life and the baby dies at birth or infancy.
    TABLE OF CONTENT
    Introduction
    Chapter 1 Chiari Malformations
    Chapter 2 Causes
    Chapter 3 Symptoms
    Ch

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherKenneth Kee
    Release dateNov 9, 2017
    ISBN9781370712434
    Chiari Malformations, A Simple Guide To The Condition, Diagnosis, Treatment And Related Conditions
    Author

    Kenneth Kee

    Medical doctor since 1972.Started Kee Clinic in 1974 at 15 Holland Dr #03-102, relocated to 36 Holland Dr #01-10 in 2009.Did my M.Sc (Health Management ) in 1991 and Ph.D (Healthcare Administration) in 1993.Dr Kenneth Kee is still working as a family doctor at the age of 74However he has reduced his consultation hours to 3 hours in the morning and 2 hours inthe afternoon.He first started writing free blogs on medical disorders seen in the clinic in 2007 on http://kennethkee.blogspot.com.His purpose in writing these simple guides was for the health education of his patients which is also his dissertation for his Ph.D (Healthcare Administration). He then wrote an autobiography account of his journey as a medical student to family doctor on his other blog http://afamilydoctorstale.blogspot.comThis autobiography account “A Family Doctor’s Tale” was combined with his early “A Simple Guide to Medical Disorders” into a new Wordpress Blog “A Family Doctor’s Tale” on http://ken-med.com.From which many free articles from the blog was taken and put together into 1000 eBooks.He apologized for typos and spelling mistakes in his earlier books.He will endeavor to improve the writing in futures.Some people have complained that the simple guides are too simple.For their information they are made simple in order to educate the patients.The later books go into more details of medical disorders.He has published 1000 eBooks on various subjects on health, 1 autobiography of his medical journey, another on the autobiography of a Cancer survivor, 2 children stories and one how to study for his nephew and grand-daughter.The purpose of these simple guides is to educate patient on health disorders and not meant as textbooks.He does not do any night duty since 2000 ever since Dr Tan had his second stroke.His clinic is now relocated to the Buona Vista Community Centre.The 2 units of his original clinic are being demolished to make way for a new Shopping Mall.He is now doing some blogging and internet surfing (bulletin boards since the 1980's) startingwith the Apple computer and going to PC.The entire PC is upgraded by himself from XT to the present Pentium duo core.The present Intel i7 CPU is out of reach at the moment because the CPU is still expensive.He is also into DIY changing his own toilet cistern and other electric appliance.His hunger for knowledge has not abated and he is a lifelong learner.The children have all grown up and there are 2 grandchildren who are even more technically advanced than the grandfather where mobile phones are concerned.This book is taken from some of the many articles in his blog (now with 740 posts) A Family Doctor’s Tale.Dr Kee is the author of:"A Family Doctor's Tale""Life Lessons Learned From The Study And Practice Of Medicine""Case Notes From A Family Doctor"

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      Book preview

      Chiari Malformations, A Simple Guide To The Condition, Diagnosis, Treatment And Related Conditions - Kenneth Kee

      Chiari Malformations,

      A

      Simple

      Guide

      To

      The Condition,

      Diagnosis,

      Treatment

      And

      Related Conditions

      By

      Dr Kenneth Kee

      M.B.,B.S. (Singapore)

      Ph.D (Healthcare Administration)

      Copyright Kenneth Kee 2017 Smashwords Edition

      Published by Kenneth Kee at Smashwords.com

      Dedication

      This book is dedicated

      To my wife Dorothy

      And my children

      Carolyn, Grace

      And Kelvin

      This book describes Chiari Malformations, Diagnosis and Treatment and Related Diseases which is seen in some of my patients in my Family Clinic.

      (What The patient Need to Treat Chiari Malformations)

      This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If the patient would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each reader.

      If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy.

      Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      Introduction

      I have been writing medical articles for my blog http://kennethkee.blogspot.com (A Simple Guide to Medical Disorder) for the benefit of my patients since 2007.

      My purpose in writing these simple guides was for the health education of my patients.

      Health Education was also my dissertation for my Ph.D (Healthcare Administration).

      I then wrote an autobiolographical account of his journey as a medical student to family doctor on his other blog http://afamilydoctorstale.blogspot.com.

      This autobiolographical account A Family Doctor’s Tale was combined with my early A Simple Guide to Medical Disorders into a new Wordpress Blog A Family Doctor’s Tale on http://kenkee481.wordpress.com.

      From which many free articles from the blog was taken and put together into 900 amazon kindle books and 400 into Smashwords.com eBooks.

      Some people have complained that the simple guides are too simple.

      For their information they are made simple in order to educate the patients.

      The later books go into more details of medical disorders.

      The first chapter is always from my earlier blogs which unfortunately tends to have typos and spelling mistakes.

      Since 2013, I have tried to improve my spelling and writing.

      As I tried to bring the patient the latest information about a disorder or illness by reading the latest journals both online and offline, I find that I am learning more and improving on my own medical knowledge in diagnosis and treatment for my patients.

      Just by writing all these simple guides I find that I have learned a lot from your reviews (good or bad), criticism and advice.

      I am sorry for the repetitions in these simple guides as the second chapters onwards have new information as compared to my first chapter taken from my blog.

      I also find repetition definitely help me and maybe some readers to remember the facts in the books more easily.

      I apologize if these repetitions are irritating to some readers.

      Chapter 1

      Chiari Malformations

      What is a Chiari malformation?

      A Chiari malformation, previously known as Arnold-Chiari malformation, occurs when the lower part of the brain pushes down into the spinal canal.

      A person with Chiari has the lowest part of the back of the brain extending into the spinal canal.

      This can apply pressure on the brainstem, spinal cord, and block the flow of fluid.

      These defects form during fetal development.

      Because of genetic mutations or a maternal diet that lacked certain nutrients, the indented bony space at the base of the skull is unusually small.

      As a result, there is increased pressure applied on the cerebellum.

      This obstructs the flow of the cerebrospinal fluid.

      That is the fluid that encloses and protects the brain and spinal cord.

      Chiari malformations are structural deformities in the cerebellum (the part of the brain that regulates balance).

      Incidence

      Chiari malformations can occasionally happen in families.

      Some children born with the malformation may have inherited a damaged gene that

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