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William D. Freeman, MD; Surjya Sen, MD; Tuhin K. Roy, MD, PhD; Eelco F. M. Wijdicks, MD

Arch Neurol. 2006;63:1487-1490.

Objective  To report cluster breathing pattern associated with a nonbrainstem lesion.

Design  Case report.

Setting  Neurointensive care unit, St Mary's Hospital, Rochester, Minn.

Patient  A patient with subarachnoid hemorrhage developed severe, diffuse, distal bilateral middle cerebral artery vasospasm with resultant cortical laminar necrosis and transient cluster breathing.

Intervention  Magnetic resonance imaging revealed bihemispheric lesions but no brainstem lesion.

Conclusion  Cluster breathing may occur with nonbrainstem lesions.

Author Affiliations: Division of Critical Care Neurology, Department of Neurology (Drs Freeman and Wijdicks) and Division of Critical Care, Department of Anesthesiology (Drs Sen and Roy), Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, Minn.