Can a lumbar puncture cause Chiari Type 1?

[DEFresh]

I just got back the results from a brain MRI. "Low-lying cerebellar tonsils are noted with findings consistent with Chiari Type I malformation". The report also says: "Relative lack of cerebral spinal fluid at foramen magnum".

A few months ago I endured a horrible lumbar puncture followed by a couple weeks of spinal headaches.

Last year I underwent another brain MRI and the report for that stated that my brain was "unremarkable". Because of this, I tend to think that the LP has caused me to have CM Type 1. However, I have searched extensively online and I'm not seeing too much in the way of LPs causing CM Type 1. Anyone with an opinion on this? Thanks very much.

[selmaS]

Hi and welcome to the Chiari forum.

Chiari is the malformation of the skull......so if findings are consistent with Chiari then I would say the LP most likely triggered symptoms and not the other way round that the LP caused Chiari....a bad draw can cause the tonsils to herniate even more....but Chiari is a congenital condition,

The unremarkable MRI is not uncommon for those with Chiari as many Drs and radiologists do not consider Chiari something to be concerned with. JMHO

[DEFresh]

"The unremarkable MRI is not uncommon for those with Chiari as many Drs and radiologists do not consider Chiari something to be concerned with."

Looks like that happened to me. I had brain MRIs in 2015 and 2016 that were "unremarkable". The latest MRI showed a CM, and when I asked the radiologist to look at my 2016 MRI images, he concluded that I had a CM back then as well. I wish the previous radiologist had told me! It would have explained a lot.

[selmaS]

I had a similar experience with TCS and was never told until I did more research and requested copies of older MRI's I now request copies of ALL testing I have done along with reports.