Complication rates following Chiari malformation surgical management for Arnold–Chiari type I based on surgical variables: A national perspective

Abstract

Introduction: This study aimed to identify complication trends of Chiari Malformation Type 1 patients (CM-1) for certain procedures and concomitant diagnoses on a national level. Materials and Methods: The Kids' Inpatient Database was queried for diagnoses of operative CM-1 by International Classification of Disease-9 codes (348.4). Differences in preoperative demographics and perioperative complication rates between patient cohorts were assessed using Pearson's Chi-squared test and t-test when necessary. Binary logistic regression was utilized to find significant factors associated with complication rate. Certain surgical procedures were analyzed for their relationship with postoperative outcomes. Results: Thirteen thousand eight hundred and twelve CM-1 patients were identified with 8.2% suffering from a complication. From 2003 to 2012, the rate of complications for CM-1 pts decreased significantly (9.6%–5.1%) along with surgical rate (33.3%–28.6%), despite the increase in CM-1 diagnosis (36.3%–42.3%; all P 4 levels.

Keywords

• chiari malformation
• outcomes
• trends