Chronic tonsillar herniation and Crouzon's syndrome.

Patients born with craniofacial syndromes such as Crouzon's syndrome will often develop hydrocephalus after their initial craniofacial reconstructive procedures. We have treated 10 patients with Crouzon's syndrome; 5 patients required a shunting procedure after cranial remodeling. Each of these 5 shunted patients later demonstrated chronic tonsillar herniation on magnetic resonance imaging studies. One of these patients exhibited signs of pseudotumor cerebri and 1 had a spastic quadriparesis. Of the 5 patients who did not require a shunt, none displayed chronic tonsillar herniation. Our evidence suggests that jugular foramen stenosis produces an increased cerebral venous turgor that leads to a cerebrospinal fluid absorption defect and hydrocephalus. After the hydrocephalus is treated the increased venous turgor remains and provides the driving force for the development of chronic tonsillar herniation.