Background: Surgery is the definitive treatment option for symptomatic Chiari malformation I (CMI), but there is no clear consensus as to the preferred surgical method. This study aimed to quantitatively assess and compare the effect and safety of dura splitting decompression (DSD) and posterior fossa decompression with duraplasty (PFDD) in treating patients with CMI.
Methods: A literature search of EMBASE, MEDLINE, PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases was conducted.