Visual scoring of sleep: A comparison between the Rechtschaffen and Kales criteria and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine criteria in a pediatric population with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.
OBJECTIVE
To compare the new American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) criteria for scoring sleep with the previous Rechtschaffen and Kales (R&K) criteria in a cohort of children with primary snoring, obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) and normal controls.


METHODS
Polysomnography was performed in 26 consecutive children with primary snoring (13 males, mean age 6.2 years, SD 3.2), in 39 with OSAS (24 males, mean age 6.1 years, SD 3.0), and in 10 age-matched normal controls.


RESULTS
Compared to the other groups, OSAS children showed a lower percentage of slow-wave sleep, using both R&K and AASM criteria; they also showed a higher percentage of stage shifts, and N1, using the AASM criteria. Children with primary snoring showed a higher percentage of N1, compared to controls.


CONCLUSIONS
These results indicate that the use of the new AASM criteria seem to disclose more differences in sleep parameters than the R&K rules in children with OSAS.


CONCLUSIONS
The AASM criteria seem to disclose a high degree of sleep fragmentation in children with OSAS, mostly related to the repeated occurrence of N1.
Miano
Silvia
S
Department of Pediatrics, Sleep Disorder Centre, University of Rome La Sapienza, Sant'Andrea Hospital, Rome, Italy.
Paolino
Maria Chiara
MC
Castaldo
Rosa
R
Villa
Maria Pia
MP
D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004569:Electroencephalography; D004576:Electromyography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017286:Polysomnography; D012890:Sleep / Q000502:physiology*; D020181:Sleep Apnea, Obstructive / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012892:Sleep Deprivation / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012894:Sleep Stages / Q000502:physiology; D012913:Snoring / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology