Meaning & use
Arnold-Chiari malformation
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable or uncountablemedicalspecialist
A condition present from birth in which part of the brain sits too low in the skull and presses on the spinal cord.
Grammar: Can be used with 'a' or without an article: 'She has an Arnold-Chiari malformation' or 'She has Arnold-Chiari malformation'.
Patterns
- have an Arnold-Chiari malformation
- be diagnosed with an Arnold-Chiari malformation
The scan showed that the baby had an Arnold-Chiari malformation.
Doctors can treat an Arnold-Chiari malformation with surgery if symptoms are severe.
An Arnold-Chiari malformation is one of several problems that can affect the lower part of the brain.
Word forms
| plural | Arnold-Chiari malformations |
|---|
Common combinations
- Arnold-Chiari malformation type I
- Type I is the mildest form of Arnold-Chiari malformation.
- Arnold-Chiari malformation type II
- Arnold-Chiari malformation type II is usually seen with spina bifida.
- diagnosis of Arnold-Chiari malformation
- The diagnosis of Arnold-Chiari malformation is made with an MRI scan.
- surgery for Arnold-Chiari malformation
- Surgery for Arnold-Chiari malformation aims to relieve pressure on the brain.
Synonyms and how they differ
- Chiari malformation
- A shorter, more common name for the same condition; it is often used in medical settings.
- ACM
- An abbreviation used mainly in medical writing and notes.
Word family
- Chiari proper noun
- Part of the name, after Hans Chiari, the doctor who first described the condition.
- Arnold proper noun
- Part of the name, after Julius Arnold, another doctor who studied it.
Commonly confused: Arnold-Chiari malformation or Arnold-Chiari syndrome?
Arnold-Chiari malformation vs Arnold-Chiari syndrome
This is an older or less precise name for the same condition. 'Malformation' is the term preferred in modern medicine.
Practice
Which sentence uses the term correctly?
Choose one answer.
An Arnold-Chiari malformation is a condition you are born with, so 'born with' fits. It is not an infection you catch, it affects the brain and spinal cord, not the leg, and it is not a broken bone.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “Arnold-Chiari malformation”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.