Paraneoplastic cerebellar ataxia with central hypoventilation.

Abstract

We describe a patient with small cell lung cancer with anti-Hu paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration and central hypoventilation syndrome. This highlights the insidious clinical presentation of central hypoventilation and raises awareness of this condition as a paraneoplastic phenomenon. This case also highlights the complex circuitry of automatic respiration in the brainstem and the potential role of the cerebellum. We emphasize the difficulties in managing paraneoplastic central hypoventilation.