Central sleep apnea and partial obstruction of the upper airway

Seven men with central sleep apnea underwent polygraphic monitoring during sleep for at least 3 nights, in combination with other tests. Five patients had complaints of disturbed sleep; the other 2 were selected because they had central sleep apnea caused by bilateral brainstem lesions. The first 5 had a small upper airway, documented by cephalometric roentgenograms. Nasal continuous positive airway pressure, administered to improve the suspected respiratory load during sleep, eliminated the central sleep apnea in the first 5 patients but had, as expected, no positive effect on the central apnea of the 2 patients with brainstem lesions.