Can Early Vestibular Symptoms Cause Arnold-Chiari Type I to Be Missed?

Arnold-Chiari malformations (ACM) are known in a group with congenital spinal cord and hindbrain abnormalities. The prevalence in the pediatric population is estimated to be 1%, and the most common symptoms are headache, neck pain, visual disturbances, vertigo, and ataxia. The authors present 2 cases with ACM I and audio-vestibular symptoms in this case series. Case I was a 7-year-old male patient who had been suffering from positional vertigo and headache for approximately 5 years. Case II was a 21-year-old female who complained of positional vertigo lasting for seconds and was accompanied by headache, triggered by head movements. The initial vestibular symptoms of ACM I patients can be confused with subclinical benign paroxysmal positional vertigo or vestibular migraine of childhood. Clinicians should make sure that they rule out all possible central vestibular pathologies in these cases before planning vestibular rehabilitation.

Cite this article as: Ertugrul G, Comert A. Can early vestibular symptoms cause Arnold-Chiari type I to be missed?. B-ENT. 2026;21(3):147-151.