Posttraumatic excessive daytime sleepiness: a review of 20 patients

Twenty patients complaining of excessive daytime somnolence (EDS) secondary to significant head trauma were studied objectively. Several polygraphic recording protocols were performed over the 12-year study period. Eighteen of the 20 patients were objectively sleepy, 8 of them presented mixed sleep apnea syndrome that fragmented their sleep, 5 patients' sleep-related breathing problems improved over time, 9 patients presented daytime somnolence, and 1 reported abrupt bouts of muscle weakness and had two sleep onset rapid eye movement (REM) periods during daytime testing. Cerebrospinal fluid analysis for specific neurotransmitter metabolites' evaluation, pre- and postprobenecid, did not differentiate posttraumatic EDS patients from narcoleptics or other patients with EDS. Two patients (one with organic brain syndrome, the other depressed) reported subjective sleepiness, not confirmed by objective data. Objective testing in posttraumatic sleepiness is recommended because of the plurality of problems and medicolegal implications.