Safe and Successful of Electroconvulsive Therapy in a Catatonic Schizophrenia Patient with Chiari Malformation Type 1

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) may be an effective and safe treatment option in catatonic patients that do not respond to psychotropic medications or refuse the drugs and oral intake. There is no absolute contraindication for ECT, but brain herniation may develop due to increased intracranial pressure during the application of its. Chiari malformation type 1 (CM-1) is defined as herniation of the cerebellar tonsils to the foramen magnum and may pose a risk for herniation during ECT. Therefore, clinicians should be meticulous while ECT in patients with CM-1. In the present study, we report the first case of safe and successful ECT in a 38-year-old male catatonic schizophrenia patient with CM-1.