Cerebellar tonsil

All my life i have had major memory problems. Short term memory, (i also had bad spatial awareness).

I have just received my MRI results.

The specialists say i have a malformed Cerebellar tonsil, that i have always had it and always will, and that it didn't develop properly before i was born.

What they couldn't tell me is what does the Cerebellar tonsil does?
The specialist i saw before my MRI said the brain damage causing my problems would probably be to subtle to show up on my MRI, and she seemed quite surprised to find the malformed Cerebellar tonsil.

Is the Cerebellar tonsil being malformed the cause of my severe memory problems, or is it the "subtle damage" somewhere else in the brain that might not have shown up on the MRI?

I know that my malformation isn't Chiari, but i am hoping you'll know about this very specialized part of the brain.
Thank you.

[selmaS]

  Hi and welcome to the Chiari forum.

DId they say what type of malformation the tonsil has? I mean if it is herniated it can pertrudes below the foreman magnum and it can obstruct CSF flow...even tho it may not be a chiari malformation u may have the same symptoms if the flow is disrupted.

Do u have copies of ur MRI and the report? Many Drs do not take Chiari and related issues seriously and feel that it can not have an affect on us since it is congenital.....

If u do not have copies of the MRi's do request them from the facility that did the studies and do so going forward with all testing.

There r many malformations of the tonsils some r elongated, some r peg like and it is the short wider ones that can cause more issue than the longer thin ones,,,, so more info is needed.

[aadia789]

Thank you.

They are sending their diagnosis and a write-up of the meeting.

I can't remember the name of the malformation, but from what they said, it sounded like it was undersized, or under-formed.

I would request a copy of my MRI, but i don't think the NHS does that, they have referred me to a psychologist  to do test on how the problem has affected my capabilities, then using what they find, i will be sent to a specialist psychologist with most skill and experience with my problems.

They intend help me find ways to live my life around my memory problem, as they can't fix it.

[selmaS]

  Well I do not understand that as they cauterize and even remove the cerebral tonsils for some where it is deemed necessary.....

Mine were cauterized to shrink them.....and mine were not huge by ne standards.....but they were causing an obstruction.

  Sorry I forgot u r in the UK....and they do things diff there....ask if they would forward them to a Dr in the US for a consult. Worth a try.