Respiratory and cardiac abnormalities in brain-stem ischaemia.
Two patients are presented who had suffered episodes of ischaemia of the brain-stem, mainly affecting one side of the pons. In addition to the more usual neurological signs, these two patients had cardiac arrhythmia: one had a sinus arrhythmia, the other a wandering pacemaker. In both patients the hemidiaphragm on the side ipsilateral to the lesion was transiently elevated. The mechanisms responsible for the arrhythmia and the elevated hemidiaphragm are discussed.
D000368:Aged; D001146:Arrhythmia, Sinus / Q000209:etiology*; D001933:Brain Stem / Q000098:blood supply*; D003964:Diaphragm / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007511:Ischemia / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011149:Pons / Q000098:blood supply; D011859:Radiography; D012119:Respiration