VALIDATION OF AUTOMATED SLEEP ANALYSIS IN NORMAL-CHILDREN

With the aim of determining normal reference values for our sleep labo ratory and evaluating the reliability of automated anal sis for scorin g polysomnographic studies in children, we recorded polysomnograms in 16 healthy boarding-schoolchildren. Sleep recordings were obtained wit h a computer system (Medilog SAG, Oxford Instruments), Polysomnographi c variables were monitored continuously on a 16-channel recorder equip ped with a video, Data were acquired on optical disk for computer-assi sted data interpretation, Sleep stages and respiratory events were als o scored visually by operator, Comparison with visual scores showed th at the computer system significantly over-scored wakefulness (W) (p<0. 02) and stage IV (p<0.001) and underscored stage II (p<0.001) and rapi d eye movement (REM) sleep (p<0.001). It also assigned respiratory eve nts a higher score than did visual scoring, as shown by the higher apn oea index (AI) and hypopnoea index (HI) (AI p<0.03; HI p<0.001), Regre ssion analysis showed a significant correlation between visual and aut omated scores for central (r=0.679; p<0.004) and obstructive apnoea (r =0.631; p<0.008). Computer apnoea scores did not correlate with visual scores, Much remains to be done before computer-based scoring systems can be relied upon, without visual scoring, for polysomnographic slee p studies in children, Their main advantage at present is that they of fer a convenient means of saving paper, space and time.