[A case of medullary infarction presented lateral medullary syndrome and respiratory arrest after ataxic respiration].

We reported a 71-year-old male with lateral medullary syndrome presented acute respiratory arrest after ataxic respiration. The patient had experienced transient diplopia repeatedly for about 2 weeks and then the developed persistent diplopia and vertigo. On the third day he was admitted to our hospital because of neurological deterioration and aspiration pneumonia. He showed left Horner's sign and double vision. And he had sensory disturbances of pain and temperature in the left face and the right side of the body, left limb ataxia and truncal ataxia. He showed dysarthria, severe dysphagia and left mild central facial paresis, but no hemiparesis. This case was clinically considered to be a typical case of left lateral medullary syndrome. When he was admitted to our hospital, he showed hypoxia with hypercapnea in spite of no history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. This condition was considered to be a central alveolar hypoventilation. He had two episodes of sudden-onset respiratory arrest following ataxic respiration on the 4th and 5th days, but no cardiac arrest. He was supported his respiration by mechanical ventilation until he was able to breathe spontaneously on the 29th day. The 22nd day MRI disclosed high intensity area in the left lateral and dorso-medial medulla in T2-weighted image, and this lesion was 1.5 cm in length. Therefore this case was diagnosed medullary infarction. This case developed ipsilateral facial pain in chronic stage. Pain existed around the eye and in the cheek, and pain was like toothache and unbearable like thalamic pain.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)