Assessing Clinical Outcome Measures in Chiari I Malformation

The purpose of this article was to consider, evaluate, and compare the clinical outcomes measurement tools that are used to assess patients with Chiari I malformation. This article highlights the variety of general and disease-specific outcome measures used in both the pediatric and adult Chiari I malformation patient populations. Although general measures can be associated with clinical outcomes and quality of life, that association is not often found to be statistically significant, and they do not often have the capabilities to assess and measure factors that directly impact the Chiari patient population. However, limitations exist when considering the disease-specific outcome measures, as these tools most often have not been rigorously evaluated externally from the initial validation or have been externally validated but results cannot be replicated. Identifying an outcomes measurement tool for both adults and patients will contribute to the clinical tools available to providers for decision-making and management.