Polysomnography or cardiorespiratory monitoring: what is the best method to diagnose sleep-disordered breathing?

Abstract

Polysomnography and cardiorespiratory (respiratory) sleep monitoring are the most common diagnostic methods for respiratory sleep disorders. Polysomnography traditionally takes the place of the “gold” standard for detection of all types of respiratory events since its inception. Currently, cardiorespiratory monitoring of sleep is becoming more widespread as a diagnostic method with a minimum set of parameters for determining respiratory events during sleep. The increased use of cardiorespiratory (respiratory) monitoring of sleep is due to 2 reasons: the increased need for diagnosis due to the wide occurrence of respiratory disorders in the population and the conditions of the method (simple use, the need for a sleep laboratory, cheaper cost). However, the method is not indicated to all patients. Potential limitations for cardiorespiratory monitoring of sleep are the lack of sleep recording (information about the structure of sleep and reactions of sleep to respiratory disorders), monitoring of the study by medical personnel, and absence of body position sensor. These factors influence the assessment of the severity of the disease and the verification of certain forms of the disease. Currently, new methods of screening sleep apnea have been formed, based on modern innovative technologies and available in practical medicine. These include the determination of the presence of respiratory events be ECG Holter monitoring during sleep, the recognition of snoring and respiratory events in sleep from an audiometric signal recording and the determination of the probability of apnea with the help of registration movements during sleep (actigraphy).