A 7-week-old infant with severe sleep apnea underwent polysomnography that revealed as many as 455 obstructive apneas per night; the apneic episodes had a mean duration of 34 s. A growing tumor in the neck, a parapharyngeal cystic hygroma, was discovered and surgically removed. The infant's condition improved dramatically, and a follow-up polygraphic recording was normal. During the following 10 months the child's condition remained stable. The case reported illustrates a rare cause of severe sleep obstructive apnea. It also reinforces the need for a complete medical approach to the diagnosis and treatment of obstructive sleep apnea in infants.
Kahn, A. ; Blum, D. ; Hoffman, A ; Hamoir, Marc ; Moulin, Didier ; et. al. Obstructive sleep apnea induced by a parapharyngeal cystic hygroma in an infant.. In: Sleep, Vol. 8, no. 4, p. 363-6 (1985)
