The purpose of this PhD is to understand the pathophysiology of Chiari malformation type I (CM-I) associated syringomyelia, in particular the effect of acute postural changes and to explore the potential preventive and/or therapeutic effect of avoiding these triggering factors.

Our hypothesis states that acute postural changes from lying or sitting to standing posture and Valsalva maneuvers may trigger the development of a syrinx.

If we are able to demonstrate a relation between posture and changes and syrinx growth, this research may lead to new treatment strategies or specific guidelines regarding prevention of syrinx progression.