Sleep disorders caused by brainstem tumor: case report

Abstract

Few studies concerning sleep disorders in brainstem lesions or tumors have been published. We report the case of a girl who was operated on for a brainstem tumor at the age of 4 years. In postsurgery, she had hemiparesis of the left side, swallowing difficulties, and severe apneas requiring a tracheotomy with nocturnal ventilation. The child's health improved progressively. Two sleep recordings were performed at 7 and 9 years without nocturnal ventilation. These recordings showed sleep disorders with a decrease in total sleep time and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Several central apneas were observed. The apneas were more frequent during REM sleep in the first recording and were associated with desaturation and microarousals.