The Use of Psychomotor Vigilance Testing in the Assessment of Pediatric Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Not Applicable

Completed

Brief Summary: Obstructive sleep apnea results in decreased attentiveness and response times in patients. The objective of this study is to quantify these consequences in pediatric OSA patients using an already established tool for examining the results of sleep deprivation and fragmentation: psychomotor vigilance testing. PVT has been used in children, but has not been studied in pediatric OSA patients. This study aims to employ PVT along the normal course of diagnosis and treatment of pediatric OSA patients in our clinical practice at Arkansas Children's Hospital. The investigators hypothesize that pediatric OSA patients will exhibit decreased PVT scoring when compared to children without OSA, and that PVT can be used to diagnose and monitor treatment outcomes in these patients.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria

Healthy pediatric patients ages 6-18 years old
with symptoms of OSA (snoring, pauses in sleep breathing, restless sleep, frequent arousals, excellive daytime sleepiness, morning headaches)
with physical exam findings consistent with adenotonsillar hypertrophy
those identified as good candidates for adenotonsillectomy
who are to undergo a polysomnogram as part of their preoperative work-up

Exclusion Criteria

History of attention deficit disorder, developmental delay, or mental retardation
Children taking any neurotropic medications (including antiepileptics, antidepressives, and stimulants)
Children previously treated for OSA (surgically or medically)
Children with significant comorbidities including other sleep-related disorders

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Psychomotor Vigilance Testing	Psychomotor Vigilance Testing	The purpose of this study is to examine the use of psychomotor vigilance testing (PVT) as a tool in the diagnosis and prediction of pediatric obstructive sleep apnea. PVT simply involves responding to a light by pressing a button on a small handheld device. It is a simple measure of reaction time.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Number of Participants Who Achieved Criteria of Obstructive Sleep Apnea in the PVT Assessment	10-20 minutes each session, 3 sessions total	Subjects with obstructive sleep apnea will be asked to participate in 3 sessions. Your child will be asked to complete some noninvasive tests at each session. These tests consist of Psychomotor Vigilance Task testing. A Psychomotor Vigilance Task (PVT) will measure your level of alertness and attentiveness. The PVT involves pressing a button after hearing a specific tone or seeing a flashing light. This test takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. The PVT testing will be done at the first clinic visit, then before any treatments, and finally after treatments have taken place. Outcome Measure is full completion of the PVT testing.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Number of Participants Who Achieved Criteria of No Sleep Complaints in the PVT Assessment	10-20 minute session, 1 session	Subjects in the control group without clinical signs and symptoms of sleep apnea will only undergo PVT for one session. Your child will be asked to complete some noninvasive tests at this session. These tests consist of Psychomotor Vigilance Task testing. A Psychomotor Vigilance Task (PVT) will measure your level of alertness and attentiveness. The PVT involves pressing a button after hearing a specific tone or seeing a flashing light. This test takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. Outcome Measure is full completion of the PVT testing.