What test is commonly used to diagnose obstructive sleep apnea?

Polysomnography is widely recognized as the gold standard for diagnosing obstructive sleep apnea. This comprehensive test involves monitoring an individual's sleep patterns over the course of a night. It records various physiological parameters such as brain activity, eye movements, muscle activity, heart rate, respiratory effort, airflow, and blood oxygen levels. By evaluating these factors, polysomnography can provide a clear picture of sleep disturbances and respiratory events, thus confirming the presence of obstructive sleep apnea.

Other diagnostic methods like a CT scan, EEG, or chest X-ray do not specifically assess sleep-related breathing disorders with the same level of detail. A CT scan is primarily used for imaging the structure of the airway and may be useful in some cases to look for anatomical obstructions, but it does not assess sleep patterns. An EEG measures electrical activity in the brain, which does not directly correlate to sleep apnea diagnosis. A chest X-ray can be helpful in identifying other potential issues like cardiac problems or pulmonary conditions, but it is not designed to diagnose obstructive sleep apnea. Therefore, polysomnography remains the most effective and commonly used test for this purpose.