Pediatric Polysomnography

Pediatric polysomnography is the diagnostic study of choice to evaluate for obstructive sleep apnea in children, and to evaluate cardiorespiratory function in infants and children with chronic lung disease, or neuromuscular disease when indicated. It is helpful to investigate atypical cases of parasomnias. It is important to understand that children are not just small adults when being studied in a sleep laboratory; they require a child friendly atmosphere and approach, need smaller and specialized equipment, and because of developmental and physiologic differences from adults, have age-adjusted rules for the scoring and interpretation of polysomnograms.