Long-term outcomes of foramen magnum decompression with duraplasty for Chiari malformation type I in adults: a series of 297 patients

Abstract

OBJECTIVE Foramen magnum decompression with duraplasty (FMDD) is one of the most frequently utilized surgical treatments for Chiari malformation type I (CMI) in adults. However, its long-term outcomes remain controversial. The object of this study was to evaluate the long-term outcomes of FMDD in adults with CMI. METHODS In total, 297 adults with CMI who had undergone FMDD at the authors’ institution between 2011 and 2020 were included in this retrospective study. Long-term (> 1 year) outcomes were evaluated using the Chicago Chiari Outcome Scale (CCOS), visual analog scale (VAS), and Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) scale. RESULTS The median patient age was 44 years (range 18–65 years). The mean clinical follow-up period was 67 months (range 14–123 months). Compared with preoperative conditions, the postoperative syringomyelia regression rate was 91.3% (242/265), and the cerebellar tonsil ascended in 18.2% of patients (54/297), was stable in 64.3% (191/297), and continuously descended in 17.5% (52/297). Long-term clinical follow-up data were acquired from 267 patients. According to the CCOS score, the patient’s condition improved in 62.5% of cases (167/267), was stable in 31.8% (85/267), and worsened in 5.6% (15/267). According to the VAS score, the patient’s condition improved in 59.5% of cases (110/185), remained unchanged in 27.6% (51/185), and worsened in 13.0% (24/185) among the follow-up patients with relevant data. According to the JOA score, the patient’s condition improved in 40.1% of cases (107/267), remained unchanged in 50.2% (134/267), and worsened in 9.7% (26/267). Notably, there was no association between clinical outcomes and syringomyelia regression (p = 0.227) or changes in the cerebellar tonsillar position (p = 0.323). CONCLUSIONS FMDD is a simple, safe, and effective surgical procedure for adult CMI that yields significant and sustained improvement in clinical and radiological outcomes. However, clinical improvement does not always correlate with syringomyelia regression and cerebellar tonsillar shift.