Nocturnal Arterial Oxygen Desaturation Secondary to a Sphenoidal Meningioma

Abstract

We report the case of a nonobese and nonsmoking 51-year-old man with nocturnal arterial oxygen desaturation that returned to normal after sphenoidal meningioma resection. He presented an important daytime hypersomnia and episodes of nocturnal apnea, without snoring. His arterial blood gases, mechanical properties of the respiratory system, pulmonary diffusing capacity and chemosensitivity were normal. The most frequent causes of nocturnal hypoxemia are examined.

Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome in a patient with medulloblastoma

“…Ito et al (1996) describe two pediatric patients with brainstem gliomas, one of whom had documented central sleep apneas. There is one case of nocturnal desaturations without snoring in a patient with a sphenoidal meningioma (Garcia-Rio et al, 1997). The lack of snoring suggests a central etiology, but polysomnography was not done to con rm the type of breathing disturbance.…”