CSF Dynamics & Pathophysiology

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)

Cerebrospinal fluid is the clear fluid that surrounds and cushions the brain and spinal cord, whose disrupted flow underlies many Chiari malformation symptoms.

In short: Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)

It is the clear fluid around the brain and spinal cord.
It cushions and protects these structures.
It circulates between the head and the spine.
Its disrupted flow at the craniocervical junction is central to Chiari.

What it is

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is the clear, water-like fluid that surrounds and cushions the brain and spinal cord and circulates through the brain's ventricles and the spaces around the central nervous system. Disruption of its flow at the craniocervical junction underlies many of the symptoms of Chiari malformation.

Understanding Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)

CSF protects the brain and spinal cord, helps remove waste, and circulates from the ventricles out into the spaces around the brain and down around the spinal cord. It flows back and forth across the craniocervical junction with each heartbeat. In Chiari malformation, the descending cerebellar tonsils crowd the foramen magnum and obstruct this normal CSF flow between the head and the spine. This obstruction is thought to underlie the characteristic Valsalva-induced headaches and to contribute to the development of syringomyelia (a fluid cavity in the spinal cord). Understanding CSF clarifies what is being disrupted in Chiari and why restoring its flow is the goal of treatment.

Why it matters

Understanding CSF helps families see that Chiari's core problem is the disruption of this fluid's normal flow at the craniocervical junction, which underlies symptoms and the associated syrinx, and that restoring flow is the aim of surgery.

Common questions

What is cerebrospinal fluid?

The clear fluid that surrounds and cushions the brain and spinal cord.

What does it do?

It protects these structures and circulates between the head and spine.

How is it relevant to Chiari?

Its flow at the craniocervical junction is disrupted in Chiari.

Bottom line

Cerebrospinal fluid surrounds and cushions the brain and spinal cord; its disrupted flow at the craniocervical junction is central to Chiari malformation.

More terms in CSF Dynamics & Pathophysiology

CSF circulationCSF circulation is the movement of cerebrospinal fluid around the brain and spinal cord, obstructed at the craniocervical junction in Chiari malformation.
CSF flow at the craniocervical junctionCSF flow at the craniocervical junction is the back-and-forth movement of fluid through the foramen magnum, impaired in Chiari malformation.
CSF flow obstruction (at the foramen magnum)CSF flow obstruction is the blockage of cerebrospinal fluid movement at the foramen magnum by the descending tonsils, the core problem in Chiari malformation.
Posterior fossa volume (small posterior fossa)A small posterior fossa is a reduced-size bony compartment at the back of the skull, a leading factor in the development of Chiari malformation type I.
Posterior fossa overcrowdingPosterior fossa overcrowding is the cramming of the cerebellum and brainstem into too small a space, the proposed mechanism behind Chiari malformation type I.

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