Peter is a mischievous 12-year-old boy with an irrepressible rebellious streak, but in the bleak London orphanage where he has lived his whole life those qualities do not exactly fly....
Chiari malformation, also known as an Arnold-Chiari malformation, is a congenital (present at birth) defect occurring in the back of the head where the brain and spinal cord connect.There are four types of Chiari malformations:1  Type 1 â Occurring when the base of the skull and upper spinal area do not form properly, a type 1 Chiari malformation commonly goes unnoticed until problems arise in the adolescent or adult years of life.here are four types of Chiari malformations: 1  Type 1 â Occurring when the base of the skull and upper spinal area do not form properly, a type 1 Chiari malformation commonly goes unnoticed until problems arise in the adolescent or adult years of life.
Chiari malformation can sometimes run in families, and it's possible that some children born with this disorder may have inherited a faulty gene that caused problems with their skull development in the womb.Researchers are currently trying to find the gene or genes that are responsible.sually, the lower parts of the brain are contained in a space within the skull, above the level of the foramen magnum (opening at the base of the skull). If you have a type 1 Chiari malformation, these brain parts are pushed downwards, because they are too big for the skull.