Syncope is defined as the transient loss of consciousness with spontaneous recovery, as a result of cerebral hypoperfusion. It is a very common clinical entity.1 Although it is difficult to establish the prevalence and incidence of syncopal episodes, recent data indicate that 9-35% of the Spanish population present some syncopal episode in their lifetime.2,3 There are a variety of causes which ...

AIMS In about 30% of patients with syncope, the responsible mechanisms remain unrecognised. Nevertheless, the possibility of an arrhythmic aetiology remains, however, difficult to rule out. METHODS We therefore monitored with an implantable loop recorder (ILR, Reveal Plus, Medtronic) 34 subjects (60+/-15 years) with at least two unexplained syncopal episodes and negative neurological and card...

OBJECTIVE To determine the role of the cerebral cortex in neurally mediated syncope, the electroencephalograms (EEG) of patients recorded during head up tilt table test were analysed. DESIGN Retrospective study. SETTING University hospital. PATIENTS 18 patients with syncope or near syncope underwent head up tilt table test with simultaneous ECG and EEG monitoring. METHODS Standard 70 de...

AIMS Syncope is defined as temporary loss of consciousness and postural tone resulting from an abrupt transient decrease in cerebral blood flow. The present work aimed at determining how diagnostic tests are used in the evaluation of pediatric syncope at a tertiary pediatric referral center and to report on the utility and the yield of these tests. SETTINGS AND DESIGN Retrospective study cond...

BACKGROUND Holter monitoring is routinely used in patients referred for the evaluation of syncope, but its diagnostic value in different patient groups is unclear, as is its impact on device implantation (pacemaker or cardioverter-defibrillator). AIM To determine the diagnostic yield of Holter monitoring in the routine evaluation of syncope, and its impact on subsequent device implantation. ...

Sympathetic activation during orthostatic stress is accompanied by a marked increase in low-frequency (LF, approximately 0.1-Hz) oscillation of sympathetic nerve activity (SNA) when arterial pressure (AP) is well maintained. However, LF oscillation of SNA during development of orthostatic neurally mediated syncope remains unknown. Ten healthy subjects who developed head-up tilt (HUT)-induced sy...

A rare cause of reflex syncope is metastatic cancers involving the head and neck. These can irritate the glossopharyngeal nerve and lead to glossopharyngeal neuralgia with associated syncope. This type of syncope is difficult to treat since it commonly involves both a vasodepressor and cardioinhibitory response, and typically requires removal of the irritative focus. We report a case of a 52-ye...

Syncope can be defined as a temporary loss of consciousness and postural tone secondary to a lack of adequate cerebral blood perfusion. The incidence of syncope coming to medical attention appears to be clearly increased in two age groups—that is, in the young and in the old (fig 1). An incidence peak occurs around the age of 15 years, with females having more than twice the incidence of males....