Conversation: The conversation between human and AI assistant.
[|Human|] My son was diagnosed with Chiari 1 malformation and fatty filum. His neurosurgeon says he needs surgery and soon..his pediatrician and neurologist say he doesn t have tethered cord and doesn t need surgery. Now he has choking/clearning his throat. Should he have surgery and is the choking/clearing of the throat related to the Chiari?
[|AI|]  I am not totally qualified to answer this, but I think the problem in the back of his spine and lower brain is likely to cause dysfunction of the lower cranial nerves and thereby, affect swallowing, the gag reflex, vocalization, tongue movements, etc. So, the probable answer is: yes, but I strongly recommend taking him back to his neurosurgeon first and seek a professional opinion, rather than sitting at home or consulting other professionals who are not trained at recognizing such issues.