BACKGROUND

The authors report the case of a 34-year-old man who presented with intractable hiccups. The imaging examination showed that the patient was suffering from syringomyelia associated with Chiari type I malformation.

METHODS

The patient underwent posterior fossa decompression combined with bilateral tonsillectomy and duroplasty. The intractable hiccups completely resolved 1 week after operation and had not recurred at 2 months after surgery. Postoperative magnetic resonance imaging showed the atrophy of the tonsils of the cerebellum and disappearance of the cavities of the spinal cord.

CONCLUSIONS

Intractable hiccups as the main symptoms of Chiari type I malformation are extremely rare in the clinic. Decompression surgery should be an appropriate method to relieve the symptoms.