Linked Life Data

16167549

Source:http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/id/16167549

Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
5
pubmed:dateCreated
2005-9-19
pubmed:abstractText
Central sleep apnoea (CSA) is a breathing disorder characterized by repetitive central apnoeas with hypoxia interrupted by hyperventilation phases. In the literature, there are reports of CSA caused by brainstem infarcts. We report two patients (38 and 53 years old) with longstanding history of central sleep apnoea who died during sleep. In both cases the autopsy revealed acute bilateral hypoxic lesions at the level of the solitary tract nuclei. In one case, symmetrical selective neuronal necrosis was found in the dorsal part of the solitary tract nuclei. A chronic obstructive vasculopathy was also found, with thickening and fibrosis of the smallest vessels of the medullary tegmentum. In the other case, bilateral infarctions were found with the base at the ependymal lining of the 4th ventricle floor and the apex towards the solitary tract. An acute intramural hemorrhagic lesion in the premedullary segment of the left vertebral artery was also found. Episodes of hypoxemic hypoxia during sleep may worsen the effects of focal oligohemic hypoxia in the medullary tegmentum. Selective stroke of the solitary tract nuclei may be the acute fatal lesion in patients with both central sleep apnoea and lesions of the vertebro-basilar system. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first neuropathologic report of acute medullary ischemic-hypoxic lesions which may not be considered the cause of the CSA because of their recent onset. Our findings suggest that CSA, besides being caused by ischemic events at the level of the medulla, may also contribute to pathogenesis of strokes, through hypoxia or hemodynamic oscillations.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:issn
0722-5091
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:volume
24
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
239-46
pubmed:dateRevised
2007-11-15
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:articleTitle
Selective stroke of the solitary tract nuclei in two cases of central sleep apnoea.
pubmed:affiliation
Department of Oncological and Surgical Sciences, Section of Pathologic Anatomy, University of Padova, Italy.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Case Reports