A member asked:

What does it mean when my mri results say that my cerebellar tonsils are seen low lying 4.2mm below, suggesting chiari malformation?

4 doctors weighed in across 2 answers

Chiari malformation: What you're describing is a typical finding for a chiari type 1 malformation. Chiari malformation is basically when part of the brain (cerebellum) sits below the base of the skull. This may cause headaches, weakness, trouble swallowing/speaking, numbness of the arms....Many different symptoms are possible. It also can be asymptomatic. Get a neurological or neurosurgical evaluation.

Answered 4/26/2015

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Inconsequential: Why did you get an MRI? Having symptoms? Normal tonsils can descend up to 5-6 mm. In most cases, it is more the appearance crowding at foramen magnum (opening at the base of the skull; the tonsils in ur case pass 4.2 mm below this) than the actual #. Error in this measurement as well, so to say 4.2 mm is a bit disingenuous as the measurement is not that accurate. This is a very common situation.

Answered 8/19/2017

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What is pencilling of cerebellar tonsils in a chiari malformation?

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