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- Title
Cyanotic Breath-Holding Spell: A Life-Threatening Complication after Radical Resection of a Cervicomedullary Ganglioglioma.
- Authors
Fujisawa, Hironori; Yoshida, Yuya; Niida, Yo; Hasegawa, Mitsuhiro; Yamashita, Junkoh
- Abstract
Cyanotic breath-holding spell is a benign and self-limiting disease of young children but occasionally associated with sudden, unexpected death. The authors report a rare case in a 2-year-old girl with a severe form that started after radical resection of a cervicomedullary ganglioglioma. She was admitted to our hospital because of delayed and unstable gait. Since magnetic resonance imaging showed a cervicomedullary tumor, she underwent a radical resection and histology showed the tumor to be a ganglioglioma. Postoperatively, the function of the lower cranial nerves and cerebellum deteriorated and hemiparesis on the left became apparent, but she returned to the preoperative state in a few months. In addition, mild sleep apnea (Ondine curse) and severe cyanotic breath-holding spells occurred. The former responded to medication but the latter failed and continued several times per day with a rapid onset and progression of hypoxemia, loss of consciousness, sweating and opisthotonos. Five months after the operation, the patient returned home with a portable oxygen saturation monitor equipped with an alarm. This case indicates that cyanotic breath-holding spell, as well as sleep apnea, is critical during the early postoperative period. This is the first report observing that such spells may occur as a complication of radical resection of a cervicomedullary tumor. Copyright © 2005 S. Karger AG, Basel
- Subjects
PEDIATRIC therapy; SUDDEN death in children; GAIT disorders in children; MAGNETIC resonance imaging; TUMORS; CRANIAL nerves; SLEEP apnea syndromes
- Publication
Pediatric Neurosurgery, 2005, Vol 41, Issue 2, p93
- ISSN
1016-2291
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1159/000085163