Abstract
Sleep apnea is defined as an intermittent cessation of airflow at the nose and mouth during sleep.Sleep apneas have been classified into three types:central, obstructive, and mixed.In obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) airflow ceases despite continuing respiratory drive because of occlusion of the oropharyngeal airway.In contrast, in central sleep apnea (CSA) the neural drive to all the respiratory muscles is transiently abolished.
Ondine curse is a loss of automatic or involuntary respiration during sleep. Sleep apnea and Ondine curse are rare presentations of type 1 Chiari malformation, and almost all reported cases were due to type 2 of malformation.Here we report a case of sleep apnea and Ondine curse in a patient with Chiari malformation type 1.