Abstract: Objective: To explore the pathogenesis,clinical manifestations,diagnosis and treatment of the patient with catathrenia,to improve the clinician's understanding of the disease, and to provide the evidences for its diagnosis and treatments. Methods: The clinical data of a patient with catathrenia were retrospectively analyzed and the diagnosis and treatment were summarized;the relevent literatures were reviewed,and the clinical characteristics and diagnosis and treatment methods were explored. Results: The patient was a 28 years old woman with intermittent catathrenia for 3 years and went to hospital. She was healthy in the past,had no bad habits, and had regular work and rest. There were no abnormal signs on physical examination. The relevant examinations including electrocardiogram,chest radiograph,CT scan of the brain,fibrolaryngoscope and polysomnography(PSG) were performed. The PSG results showed exhalation prolongation after deep inhalation,followed by brief deep inhalation and exhalation. The respiratory rhythm slowed down,the arousal index and respiratory event index increased,and there were no oxygen saturation decreases. According to the patient's clinical manifestations and the PSG manifestations,the patient was diagnosed as catathrenia,and the possibility of central sleep apnea(CSA)was excluded. The application of continuous positive airway pressure(CPAP)was effective,and the condition was stable during the follow-up of two years. Conclusion: Catathrenia is relatively rare,and its pathogenesis,diagnosis and treatment are not clear at present. The patient's clinical manifestations and PSG manifestations are used clinically as a basis for diagnosis. The application of CPAP has a better prognosis.

Key words: catathrenia, polysomnography, continuous positive airway pressure, central sleep apnea