From 2023, the Foundation IRCCS San Matteo Polyclinic in Pavia And insert in the portal of rare diseases for syringomyelia and Chiari syndromethat the Neurosurgery structure follows with a approach and a multidisciplinary and intercompany team.
Precisely for the treatment of patients suffering from Chiari malformation, at San Matteo, a clinic has been active since 2022 which has already treated 11 surgically, “and we are preparing to deal with the twelfth”, as neurosurgeon Patrizia Pisano explains.
Chiari syndrome, the San Matteo clinic in Pavia
“The clinic was created at the request of the Italian Association of Chiari Child malformations, with which many of our specialists collaborate – explains Giannantonio Spenadirector of SC Neurosurgery who recently participated in the sixteenth Aima-Child conference on Chiari malformation, a malformative disease of the nervous system, present at birth, which affects the cerebellum, the brainstem and the posterior part of the skull (cranial fossa rear).
It is characterized by the “slipping” or herniation of parts of the cerebellum (as well as parts of the brainstem) through the hole located between the skull and the spinal canal (foramen magnum). Other malformations of the brain and spinal cord (syringomyelia) may also be associated with the disease.
Here at San Matteo we have two paths. A pediatric path with the specialist Thomas Foiadellipediatrician with neurological skills, who makes an initial evaluation and, in case of surgical need, reports it to neurosurgery.
Thanks to the transitional care process, pediatric or adolescent patients are able to be followed over time for checks.
The adult pathhowever, involves the headache center of the Mondino Institute.
“Headache is the most common symptom of Chiari syndrome – explain the neurosurgeons of San Matteo -. However, in the presence of this symptom or a diagnosed malformation, there may not always be Chiari syndrome. For this reason, an initial approach with a headache center is necessary for in-depth screening and identifying patients deserving of surgical treatment”.
Source: www.sanmatteo.org
