Polysomnography is an Important Method for Diagnosing Pediatric Sleep
Problems: Experience of One Children’s Hospital
Abstract
In this study, we collected and analyzed PSG data to investigate that
value of polysomnography (PSG) in diagnosing sleep problems in children.
The results of PSG studies of children (< 18 years old) with
sleep problems conducted from April 2015 to May 2017 at a children’s
hospital in Taiwan were collected and analyzed retrospectively. Data for
310 patients (209 males and 101 females) who underwent PSG were
collected. The final diagnoses were as follows: obstructive sleep apnea
in 159 (51.3%), snoring in 81 (26.4%), limb movement sleep disorder in
25 (8.1%), hypersomnias in 12 (3.9%), central apnea in 8 (2.9%),
enuresis in 7 (2.3%), bruxism in 5 (1.6%), sleep terrors in 5 (1.6%),
narcolepsy in 3 (1.0%), sleep seizures in 3 (1.0%), sleep walking in 1
(0.3%), and insomnia in 1 (0.3%). PSG may help detect significant
sleep-related problems in children and is useful for making therapeutic
decisions regarding children. Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS)
was the primarily sleep problem for most of the children (51.3%);
however, only 7.4% of them underwent surgery for OSAS, even though
those with OSAS underwent surgery without undergoing PSG. We therefore
suggest that children with sleep problems should undergo PSG.