Function of Cerebellar Tonsils

[mama2twobabies]

Out of curiosity, what is the function of the cerebellar tonsils? I can't find their exact function. I can find the cerebellum's function of controlling balance, spacial & fine motor functions. Are the cerebellar tonsils related to the functions of the cerebellum only, or do they have their own specific functions? Just wondering what these things that are causing all of these problems with me actually do in my brain!

[zygy2]

My NS that I really feel is very smart and wonderful feels that they are not functioning once they are crammed into that space and that shrinking them does not do any damage.  He feels they are not functioning so it will not change anything.  I did damage to another area of my cerebellum with a weird fluid flow because my patch was stuck to my cerebellum and I can tell you that was damage... I had so many neurological things going wrong, I can tell you that you don't want to damage the rest of the cerebellum!

[lalalodestone]

I just had a NS (a chiari specialist - as far as I can tell) say that depending on the amount of space he's able to create with the laminectomy and duraplasty, he may "shrink" my tonsils.  Why do you say that removing the tonsils is an outdated procedure?  It really creeps me out to think about them shrinking or removing part of my brain, but I haven't been able to find much conclusive research on it.  And by "much" I really mean "any".  :(

[selmaS]

  Hi and welcome to the Chiari forum.

The removal of the tonsils is an outdated procedure, is ur NS a true chiari specialist?

What type of decompression did he do?...with laminectomy and duraplasty?

If so, what type of patch?

  These r the types  of questions u need to ask, and go from there.

Do u have a CSF obstruction again?

    "selma"

[Jkneehjenifferhenry]

I'm so glad I found this! No one knows how I feel or can even begin to understand everything I've gone through. I just had my 3rd shunt put in(I was diagnosed with Pseudo Tumor Cerebri/IH in 2003). Then 2 1/2 years ago I had a chiari decompression. Now they think I need another decompression but this time my dr says he might need to remove the tonsils. I'm a little worried about that as I think that everything in our brain is important & essential not like an appendix!

Has anyone heard of this or gone through it?

I'm going through wicked dizziness right now--my dr hopes it's just me adjusting to my shunt but it feels just like it did before my last chiari surgery (dizziness went away after surgery). After 5 surgeries in my brain I'm experiencing big time memory loss!

[selmaS]

  Hi and welcome to the Chiari forum.

Chiari can be the cause of many issues we tend to deal with Breathing, cognitive, headaches, vertigo,all the things u mentioned and then some.

  Loss of smell I am sure is not far off the mark, as the symptoms r a result of  our brain stems and nerves being compressed.

This can cause nething....

  @Mikevdh- Side effects that can occur post op all depend on the individual...we all do not have the same experience....and not all Drs perform the surgery the same...removing the tonsils is not something done too much nemore....they make room for the CSF to flow and leave the tonsils where they are.Surgery is not a cure or a fix, it is to slow progression and restore CSF flow.

   "selma"

[Mikevdh]

I was wondering about that too. Neurosurgeon said during surgery he usually removes part of the cerebellum (didn't specifically say the tonsils).  

I'm like... "Isn't that a lobotomy"?   I was really creeped out and wondered what side affects could occur.