Arnold Chiari malformation is a condition that patients have since birth, but most don’t experience symptoms until later. The patient, Connor Ventura, didn’t know he had the condition until he experienced concussion-like symptoms during a high school soccer game. An MRI taken at Weill Cornell identified his condition, where the cerebellum was pushing down on the hole at the base of the skull, creating pressure on the spinal cord and restricting fluid movement.
Mr. Ventura underwent a procedure to correct the condition and decided to create a website that provided information about Arnold Chiari malformation and raised money for further research and development in the field.
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