Duncan Niederauer, Chief Executive Officer and Director of NYSE Euronext, To Be Keynote Speaker at CSF Night of Light Gala

NEW YORK, Nov. 1, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Chiari & Syringomyelia Foundation, Inc. (CSF) has announced that Duncan Niederauer, CEO and Director of NYSE Euronext, will be their Keynote Speaker at the Fourth Annual Night of Light Gala.  The event will be held on Saturday, November 9, 2013 at the James Burden Mansion in New York.  A limited number of philanthropists, patients and physicians from across the globe will be in attendance.

The Chiari & Syringomyelia Foundation, Inc. (CSF) was established in October 2007 to advance knowledge about Chiari malformation, syringomyelia and related disorders, to build a substantial research endowment and advocate for funding and quality of life for over a million people in the US affected by these disorders. 

"There are many combinations of symptoms that can manifest at any age. This contributes to the misdiagnosis of many people," said Dorothy Poppe, CSF's Executive Director.  "Our goal is to educate both the general population and pediatric and primary care physicians about these devastating conditions which can lead to a life of debilitating pain, even death."

The Chiari I malformation is most often a congenital malformation in which the back compartment of the skull is formed slightly too small, resulting in crowding of neurological tissues.  The lower part of the cerebellum hangs down through the opening at the bottom of the skull and causes blockage of spinal fluid to the spinal canal.  This often brings on neurological symptoms.  It cannot be seen by the naked eye.

Syringomyelia is the buildup of spinal fluid in a spinal cord cavity called a syrinx.  The buildup can be due to blockage from a Chiari malformation, spinal trauma, tumor or other causes.  This results in stretching and eventual injury to nerve fibers that can lead to partial or full paralysis.

While people with CM and SM are often in constant, inexplicable pain, many look and behave every bit as "normal" as those in the unaffected population.   Indeed, you may know someone afflicted, or you, yourself, having been misdiagnosed with migraines for example, might even suffer from one or both.  Only an MRI can tell for certain.

If you are interested in learning more about the CSF Night of Light Gala or the disorders in general, please visit the CSF website at www.CSFinfo.org or contact Dorothy Poppe, CSF Executive Director at (718) 966-2593.

SOURCE Chiari & Syringomyelia Foundation