brain tonsils incase in the spinal colum

my daughter is 18 and was seen by a neurosurgeon who said that her brain tonsils are stuck inside the spinal colum and he has a name for this and i can't remember it. They don't know if they are going to operate or not  what do i have to look forward to as she may now have celaic disease after surgery in june she lost 25lbs within 2 months

[Abhijeet Deshmukh, MD]

Hello.

She could be suffering from Chiari I malformation. In Chiari malformation, the cerebral tonsils protrude from the foramen ovale (outlet of the skull). This is a progressive condition. Surgery is indicated. Due to protrusion of the tonsils, the CSF flow is restricted and intracranial pressure rises, leading to more protrusion.

I hope a decision is taken soon.

Regards