Arnold-Chiari malformation in a pregnant woman

The Arnold-Chiari malformation type I is characterized by the prolapse of the cerebellar tonsils below the foramen magnum. There is a lack of literature on the management of a pregnancy in a woman affected by an Arnold-Chiari malformation.

A young primipara with severe headaches underwent an elective primary cesarean delivery under general anesthesia successfully. Five years earlier, she had undergone neurosurgical resection for filum terminale syndrome shortly after her first pregnancy (term vaginal delivery) and decompression of a type I Arnold-Chiari malformation 4 months later.

Careful selection of anesthetic technique for the delivery of a woman with an Arnold-Chiari malformation is of paramount importance.