The role of polysomnography in the differential diagnosis of chronic insomnia.
The authors examined the accuracy of the differential diagnosis of chronic insomnia with and without sleep laboratory studies in a consecutive series of 123 patients. All patients were evaluated by means of a sleep/wake log, a sleep habits questionnaire, structured psychiatric and clinical interviews, and a minimum of two consecutive nights of polysomnography. Notwithstanding a high rate of Research Diagnostic Criteria (RDC)-diagnosed psychopathology (63%) in this sample, the major finding was that in 49% of the patients laboratory results added to, refuted, and/or failed to support the clinical impression. This resulted in substantial modification of the initial diagnostic formulation and therefore in increased specificity of diagnosis.
Jacobs
E A
EA
Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, PA 15213.
Reynolds
C F
CF
Kupfer
D J
DJ
Lovin
P A
PA
Ehrenpreis
A B
AB
D002908:Chronic Disease; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004569:Electroencephalography; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012890:Sleep / Q000502:physiology*; D007319:Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012895:Sleep, REM / Q000502:physiology