[A patient with olivopontocerebellar atrophy combined with sleep apnea syndrome]

A 52-year-old man with olivopontocerebellar atrophy was admitted to Ehime University Hospital for examination of sleep apnea. Overnight polysomnographic study revealed that his sleep apnea was predominantly the central type. With progress of the disease, the dominance of apnea pattern changed from the central type to the obstructive type. After tracheostomy, the apnea index decreased from 15 per hour to 12.4 per hour. However, the apnea index of the central type increased from 1.5 per hour to 12.4 per hour. These findings suggest that the effect of tracheostomy is not always beneficial in sleep apnea, and that the frequency and the pattern of apnea are not always indicators of tracheostomy.