Quantitative analysis of paradoxical inward rib cage movement during sleepin children

Paradoxical inward rib cage movement in children is quantified by the labor ed breathing index (LBI) on the respiratory inductive plethysmography. Labo red breathing index during rapid eye movement sleep (REMS) in 59 children w ithout obvious sleep disordered breathing (SDB) declined with age, and decr eased to the mature low level at 35 months of age. The LBI was also found t o reflect well the severity of SDB. Paradoxical inward rib cage movement, w hich was quantified by LBI, is concluded to be an important finding in diag nosing SDB in child patients.