Short onset REM period (SOREMP) latency, though rarely found in general sleep clinic samples, is highly specific for the diagnosis of narcolepsy, according to a study of 79,651 general sleep clinic patients and an additional 3,059 patients being evaluated for hypersomnolence.
Investigators analyzed the sensitivity and specificity of nocturnal polysomnography (PSG) SOREMP (REM latency of 15 minutes or less) and found:
• The prevalence of PSG SOREMP increased in a dose-response fashion from 0.5% for no multiple sleep latency test (MSLT) SOREMPs to more than 33% for those with 5 MSLT SOREMPs in patients being tested for hypersomnolence.
• PSG SOREMP was highly specific, but not sensitive for narcolepsy.
• The use of PSG SOREMP offers a critical opportunity for practitioners to identify narcolepsy in sleep clinic patients.
Citation: Cairns A, Bogan R. Prevalence and clinical correlates of a short onset REM period (SOREMP) during routine PSG. Sleep. 2015. pii: sp-00633-14. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 26039966.