Respiratory explorations for sleep disorders in children

Nocturnal polysonography is the reference tool Sor the exploration of sleep disorders irt children. Noninvasive methods are to be preferred for childr en. Recording respiratory signals identifies respiratory events (episodes o f apnea, hyponea) and their effect on gas exchange. Measuring esophageal pr essure, the only qualitative measure of respirator), exertion, is required for the diagnosis of high-resistant upper airways syndrome. Recordings of n europhysiolgical signals can be used to analyze sleep organization and to q uantify cortical awaking reactions. The most frequent indication in pediatr ic patients with sleep disorders is to explore suspected obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. The prevalence of this syndrome in the general pediatric po pulation would be 1.6 %, increasing to 8.4 % iii members of a family with a child having obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.