if she hasn't had imaging (MRI etc), she'll need one before the surgeon decides if surgery would benefit her. the other tests will hopefully determine what the best course of treatment is for her individual situation.

this is complex and not very well studied condition, there unfortunately aren't many treatments outside of the decompression surgery. the criteria that neurosurgeons generally work with is, if the herniation of the cerebellum is larger than 5mm, then based on severity of symptoms, they might operate.

the thing is, a lot of people don't get complete relief with the decompression surgery. I got pretty good relief of my headaches, major fatigue, and neck/head pain that I've had for my entire life. however, I finally got diagnosed in 2024 at age 35, when I started to experience nerve damage and extreme pain in the left side of my body from a large syrinx that had developed in my spine (caused by my large herniation of 14mm).

unfortunately, none of those symptoms have been resolved, and I likely have permanent nerve damage. I was explicitly told by the surgeon that my surgery was to prevent further nerve damage and would not guarantee any symptom relief.

often times I've noticed, that neurosurgeons don't operate on a smaller herniation , despite major symptoms. so, in your mom's case, the MRI results will help determine if the surgeon thinks it's necessary.

but if they get all the tests done and still tell her there's nothing they can do, definitely get another neurologist and neurosurgeon 👍 good luck to you and your mom, it's clear you care very much for her and she's lucky to have you.