Dados do Trabalho

Título

The relation between the Chiari Malformation and Sleep Apnea.

Resumo

INTRODUCTION: Chiari malformation occurs when the skull base and the area of the upper part of the spine are not properly formed, causing an inappropriate bulge of the cerebellum through the foramen magnum. This syndrome, by affecting the central nervous system, allows the development of respiratory syndromes. The most noteworthy of these is sleep apnea, characterized by noises and interruptions in breathing during sleep, gradually decreasing blood oxygenation and, consequently, increasing blood pressure and decreasing cerebral blood flow. Therefore, laboratory tests, such as polysomnography, are necessary to confirm the diagnosis of sleep apnea and magnetic resonance imaging to diagnose the type 1 Chiari malformation, also requiring neurosurgery to treat the Arnold-Chiari syndrome. OBJECTIVES: The present study aims to analyze the relation between Arnold-Chiari Syndrome and the breathing disorder Sleep Apnea. METHODS: It has been accomplished a bibliographical research indexed in the databases SciELO, PubMed and Google Acadêmico, of studies published in the years of 2010 to 2018, using the following descriptors: "Apnea", "Chiari" and "Sleep". RESULTS: By the selection of three different articles it was possible to infer that Chiari Malformation type 1 (MCI) is a congenital condition in which the cerebellum enters the spinal canal because of a malformation of the skull. This syndrome is strongly linked to respiratory disorders, evidencing Central Sleep Apnea, because of the proximity of the respiratory structures of the brain and the structures involved in the Chiari Malformation. As a direct consequence, there is a possible lack of oxygenation in the brain and very poor sleep quality. CONCLUSION: It is evident, therefore, that polysomnography, a test realized to analyze the quality of sleep by measuring brain waves, breathing and the amount of oxygen in the blood, becomes an ally in the identification of Sleep Apnea. While MRI is essential for the identification of Chiari type 1 malformation. Both decompression surgery, for the treatment of the malformation, as well as servoventilation for the treatment of apnea, are indicated. Thereby, as a direct consequence, there is a reduction in the symptoms of sleep-disordered breathing.

Palavras Chave

Apnea; Chiari; Sleep.