Ondine's curse: therapeutic trial of dimefline.

Ondine's curse is a rare disorder characterized by primary failure of central regulation of breathing, resulting in severe hypoventilation during sleep. This report describes a 14-year-old girl with both this disorder and hypergonadotropic hypogonadism. As a therapeutic trial, dimefline was administered orally, which was effective in deepening respiration for certain periods of sleep, during which time blood gas levels improved significantly.