Intermittent and Unilateral Chorioretinal Folds due to Combined Chiari 1 Malformation and Basilar Invagination

Abstract

We report the case of a 35-year-old female with combined Chiari 1 malformation and basilar invagination, who presented with intermittent conjunctival chemosis and unilateral chorioretinal folds that were temporally correlated. She denied any flashes, floaters, eye redness, or pain. She also denied nausea or vomiting. Clinical exam and optical coherence tomography imaging revealed conjunctival chemosis and chorioretinal folds in the left eye. Subsequent magnetic resonance imaging of the brain and the orbits were consistent with combined Chiari 1 malformation and basilar invagination. The unilateral and intermittent chorioretinal folds and conjunctival chemosis presentation of combined Chiari 1 malformation and basilar invagination is unusual. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case to be reported with this unique clinical presentation. It is most important to be aware that unilateral and intermittent chorioretinal folds associated with conjunctival chemosis may be signs of intracranial disease.