Paper #4: Referral Patterns and Prevalence of Sleep Abnormalities in Children with EOS

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Orthopedics
• Sleep Medicine
• Pulmonary Function Testing

Background:

• Polysomnograms (PSGs) are underutilized in pediatric early onset scoliosis (EOS) management.
• Current guidelines lack standardized criteria for PSG referrals in EOS patients.
• The diagnostic yield of PSGs for children with EOS remains largely uncharacterized.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the utilization and outcomes of polysomnograms (PSGs) in children diagnosed with early onset scoliosis (EOS).
• To analyze the relationship between EOS type, patient age, and lung function with PSG referral and findings.
• To determine the frequency of abnormal PSG results in this pediatric population.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of 96 children over 5 years old with EOS who underwent PSG referrals.
• Analysis of patient demographics, EOS classification, and pulmonary function test (PFT) results.
• Evaluation of PSG reports to identify the frequency of abnormal findings.

Main Results:

• PSGs are infrequently referred for pediatric EOS patients.
• Data on lung function and specific EOS types in relation to PSG referrals were collected.
• The study determined the prevalence of abnormal PSG results in the studied cohort.

Conclusions:

• The study highlights the limited use of PSGs in pediatric EOS care.
• Findings provide insights into PSG referral patterns and diagnostic yield in EOS.
• Further research is warranted to establish standardized PSG protocols for EOS management.