Looking for Chiari Specialist in Kaiser in and around Los Angeles, San Diego

[Thomas_123]

Hello,

My daughter is diagnosed with Chiari type1 and she has cyrinx also, a long one about 10cm long and 1cm wide. I am in Los Angeles area. I am looking for specialist in and around LA or in San Diego. I am in Kaiser Permanente insurance.

Please let me know if you know any specialist.
Thanks
Thomas

[Y_eve]

Call your insurance and see if you can see a specialist outside of Kaiser. UCLA and Cedar Sinai have great programs. Do not let anyone touch your daughter (surgery) unless they are a Chiari Specialist

[Thomas_123]

Thank you.

[selmaS]

Hi and welcome to the Chiari  forum.

We do have a list of Drs for the state of California....the list is not a referral nor an endorsement for those listed, it is just a starting place for you to research Drs.

CALIFORNIA

Dr. Langston Holly
Dr. Ulrich Batzdorf
UCLA, Westwood, CA
UCLA/Santa Monica Medical Center

Paul S. Jackson, M.D., Ph.D.
Palo Alto Center
795 El Camino Real
Level 3, Lee Building
Palo Alto, California 94301
[phone]

Dr. Jorge Lazareff, MD
Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center
200 Medical Plaza, Suites 140
Peter Morton Medical Build
Los Angeles, CA
[phone] Patient appoint.

Dr. Samuel F. Ciricillo
2800 L Street $5
Sacramento, CA
916-454-6850

As the other poster noted, do your research and make sure the Dr is a true Chiari specialist....our  list was compiled by the members here of Drs they went to and liked.....it does not mean they are true Chiari specialists or that they work with in the parameters of your insurance.

Keep in mind many of us do  have to travel to get to the right Dr....
May I ask what symptoms your daughter presents?

[Thomas_123]

Hi Thanks for the list.

My daughter has been having neck pain, shoulder pain, tingling/numbness in the fingers and head ache for around 5 years on and off. We have been going to the doctors and they have been recommending physio therapy, muscle relaxants, acupuncture etc., and at home remedies usually relieve the pain temporarily. The issue comes mostly when she is stressed, during exams.

Last month we saw a physical medicine doctor and he performed lidocaine injection on her lower shoulder area and recommended for an MRI and thats when we found out she has some brain bulging issue and syrinx in the spine.

The doctor has now recommended another MRI with dye, we will know the results in about 10 days.

Thanks again.

[selmaS]

Is the MRI a CINE MRI? If so, that is great she is getting that, it looks at CSF flow....keep us posted on what you find out

ALSO- ask for copies of the MRI  on disk and a report when she signs in for the studies....always ask for reports and copies of images when getting the studies as it is free at that point, if you wait until after and ask her Dr, he/she will charge you for them.

[Thomas_123]

Not sure if it is a CINE MRI, they said with dye. It does not look like CINE. I will update anyways next week.

Good point on getting the image on a CD. Thanks for information.

[selmaS]

You are very welcome. Also request a written copy of the report as it helps when you see other Drs o have the information in hand then wait for it to be forwarded to the current/new Dr.

CINE MRI'S are done with a dye....which is why I wondered if that is what they were doing...good luck and I look forward to your update.