[Isolated respiratory insufficiency in Arnold-Chiari malformation].
We report on a 45-year old woman with daytime sleepiness, polycythemia, hypoxemia and hypercapnia, admitted to hospital on three occasions in a 10 month period for acute respiratory failure. Polysomnography demonstrated apneas of central type, testing of the respiratory drive suggested central alveolar hypoventilation and magnetic resonance imaging showed an Arnold-Chiari malformation with syringomyelia. The originality of this case is the absence of any neurologic sign, respiratory failure being the sole manifestation of the Arnold-Chiari malformation.
Noseda
A
A
Clinique de Pneumologie, Hôpital Universitaire Brugmann, Bruxelles, Belgique.
Devriendt
J
J
Hoffmann
G
G
Schmerber
J
J
D000208:Acute Disease; D001139:Arnold-Chiari Malformation / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008875:Middle Aged; D017286:Polysomnography; D012008:Recurrence; D012131:Respiratory Insufficiency / Q000209:etiology*; D013595:Syringomyelia / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis