B. Gnidovec Stražišar
Klinični oddelek za otroško, mladostniško in razvojno nevrologijo, Pediatrična klinika, Univerzitetni klinični center Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenija

Abstract

Background: Polysomnography (PSG) is the gold standard for diagnosing sleep disorders. Simultaneous recording of several diverse physiological signals enables detailed sleep analysis. PSG is the diagnostic study of choice for the evaluation of hypesomnia and sleep-related breathing disorders in children. Non-respiratory indications for PSG include atypical or dangerous parasomnias, movement disorders and selected cases of childhood restless legs syndrome.Material and methods: The standard parameters used to record sleep are electroencephalography (EEG), electromyography (EMG), electro-oculography (EOG), airflow measurements, respiratory effort measurements, electrocardiography (ECG), oxygen saturation, sleep position evaluation and CO2 measurements. The sleep study is usually performed in the controlled environment of the sleep laboratory. Ambulatory PSG permits unattended sleep studies to be performed in the child’s natural home environment. In children with excessive daytime sleepiness, the multiple sleep latency test (MSLT) is performed after the whole-night PSG.Conclusions: PSG is an objective method for sleep evaluation and diagnosis of various sleep disorders. It enables detailed analysis of sleep architecture, evaluation of sleep-disordered breathing, movement disorders and parasomnias.

Key words: polysomnography, PSG, sleep disorders, multiple sleep latency test, MSLT, sleep architecture.