Chiari I malformation presenting as chronic cough.

We present a 9-month-old infant with persistent cough refractory to conventional asthma therapy. An extensive evaluation eventually revealed a Chiari I malformation with syringohydromyelia. His cough resolved one month after surgical decompression, suggesting that brainstem compression from the Chiari malformation directly caused his symptoms. (c) 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.