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Practical Application of Polysomnography in Infants
Kacper Dera1, Michał Ciebiera2,3, Filip Dąbrowski4
1Department of Pediatrics, Bielanski Hospital, 01-809 Warsaw, Poland.
Insights
Polysomnography is a valuable tool for diagnosing and treating sleep disorders in infants. This review highlights its importance in early identification and management, improving outcomes for infants with conditions like obstructive sleep apnea.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Sleep Medicine
- Neurology
Background:
- Sleep-disordered breathing in infants impacts nervous system development.
- Early identification and understanding of polysomnography are crucial.
- Limited research exists on polysomnography in neonatal and infant periods.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the utility of polysomnography in infants during their first year of life.
- To emphasize the diagnostic and therapeutic applications of polysomnography in this age group.
Main Methods:
- A narrative review of polysomnography applications in infants.
- Searched PubMed (Jan 2015-Jan 2025) using keywords: "polysomnography", "obstructive sleep apnea", "infant".
- Included 90 out of 1200 reviewed publications.
Main Results:
- Polysomnography aids in diagnosing sleep disorders in infants.
- It assists in qualifying infants for surgical interventions.
- The study identified 90 relevant publications from 1200 reviewed.
Conclusions:
- Polysomnography is essential for diagnosis and treatment planning in infants.
- It supports multidisciplinary management, improving patient prognosis.
- Its role in evaluating treatment effectiveness, both non-invasive and invasive, is significant.
Abstract:
This manuscript presents a comprehensive narrative review of the applications of polysomnography in infants. Considering the growing interest in the early identification of sleep-disordered breathing and its impact on the development of the nervous system, this is an exceptionally important and clinically relevant topic. There is a significant need for a proper understanding of the concept of polysomnography, which would enable its appropriate use in both diagnosis and treatment. This issue becomes particularly important given the limited number of scientific reports addressing the neonatal and infant periods. Objective: The usefulness of polysomnography during the first year of a child's life. Methods: Between February and August 2025, a review of publications presenting aspects of polysomnography was conducted. Special attention was given to studies concerning the infant period, published between January 2015 and January 2025. The selection was carried out through the PubMed National Library of Medicine search engine, using the following keywords: "polysomnography", "obstructive sleep apnea", and "infant." Results: Based on detailed inclusion criteria, 90 out of 1200 publications were qualified for analysis. Conclusions: Polysomnography is used both in the diagnostic process and in qualification for surgical treatment. It enables actions aimed at multidisciplinary management that improve patient outcomes while simultaneously reducing factors that worsen prognosis. At the same time, its usefulness in evaluating the therapeutic process and assessing improvement after both noninvasive and invasive interventions should be emphasized.
