Type I is generally adult-onset and, while not curable, treatable and rarely fatal. Decompression surgery is used on patients with significant size Chiari and patients who are severly symptomatic.
Once symptomatic onset occurs, a common treatment is decompression surgery, in which a neurosurgeon usually removes the lamina of the first and sometimes the second or even third cervical vertebrae and part of the occipital bone of the skull to relieve pressure. The flow of spinal fluid may be accompanied by a shunt. Since this surgery usually involves the opening of the dura mater and the expansion of the space beneath, a dural graft is usually applied to cover the expanded posterior fossa.
I had the decompression surgery as described above. The lamina of my first and second C-spine was removed. I did not have a shunt, and I had a Dura Seal patch placed on my dura instead of a graft.
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