Is Lumbar Puncture Contraindicated in Patients with Chiari I Malformation?
Sami H. Erbay, Mark G. O Callaghan and Rafeeque Bhadelia Dynamic brain stem compression due to unsuspected Chiari malformation (CM) may mimic a meningeal process and can pose a diagnostic challenge to both the neuroradiologist and the clinician. CM usually goes undetected on the axial CT examination, where severe beam hardening creates difficulty in evaluating the craniocervical junction (Fig 1). In the setting of CM, the craniospinal pressure dissociation can be worsened if CSF is removed from the spinal canal.