Arch Otolaryngol
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A patient was seen for evaluation of excessive daytime sleepiness, which was exacerbated following complications secondary to surgical reconstruction of the pharynx for a submucous cleft palate. She underwent recordings in the sleep laboratory and was found to have sleep apnea. ⋯ Our case demonstrates that surgical procedures involving the upper airway should be approached with considerable caution in patients with myotonic dystrophy and only after the presence of associated sleep apnea has been carefully excluded. An original finding is the suggestion of a decrease in the number of T-cell lymphocytes in a patient with myotonic dystrophy.