Four cases of brain stem lesion presented with central sleep apnea syndrome

Abstract

Central sleep apnea syndrome is a disorder characterized by the recurrent episodes of apnea during sleep resulting from transient pause of ventilatory effort. Various cardiologic and metabolic causes of the central sleep apnea have been described. In addition, various neurological diseases affecting brainstem have been implicated in the development of the sleep apnea. In this report, we presented four patients with central sleep apnea syndrome and normal neurologic, otorhinolaryngologic and cardiovascular fi ndings. For a further and detailed neurologic examination we performed a magnetic resonance imaging examination and eventually detected pathological fi ndings associated with arachnoid cyst and meningiomas.

Central sleep apnoea as an initial presentation of a posterior fossa juvenile pilocytic astrocytoma

“…CSA is characterised by repetitive periods of unstable ventilatory control during sleep and may result from cardiovascular, neuromuscular and genetic disorders or structural brain abnormalities 4. There are limited reports of CSA as a presenting feature of a CNS neoplasm in the adult population and may be associated with normal neurological, cardiovascular and metabolic findings 5. CSA is rare in the paediatric population,6 although CSA has been rarely reported as a presenting feature of CNS tumours in this age group 7–9.…”