A 28-year-old female with a history of situational syncope and a new-onset right sided hemiparesis is described. Tilt-up table test revealed the postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome followed by vasovagal syncope. Neurological and internal medicine tests showed no particular disorders. The patient underwent autonomic physical training and the tilt-up test performed three months later showed...

AIM To assess the cerebral blood flow velocity during the first minute of head-up tilt in patients with postural tachycardia syndrome (POTS) or neurally-mediated reflex syncope compared with patients with dizziness. METHODS We evaluated 120 patients selected from 470 patients who underwent head-up tilt testing: 40 with POTS, 40 with typical neurally-mediated reflex syncope and 40 who complain...

With increasing age, the cardiovascular system loses its efficiency. The goal of this work was to investigate the hemodynamic system response to a head-up tilt test in two groups of different aged people. We used a model for describing this response in the right calf based on a noninvasive, non-occlusive, bioimpedance signal measurement technique. A decrease in the bioimpedance value in the cal...

There has been a great deal of interest in the therapeutic role of beta-adrenergic blockade in patients suffering from vasovagal syncope. The efficacy of beta-blockers in these patients may be due to blunting of elevated catecholamine levels that precede vasovagal syncope (1). Notwithstanding the widespread use of beta-blockers in the past, some studies on chronic beta-blocker use have been les...

The head-up-tilt-test in pediatric patients for the evaluation of syncope shows a sensitivity of 35-85% and often requires pharmacological stimulation in order to improve its diagnostic value. We used a new device for beat-to-beat blood pressure monitoring combined with impedance cardiography in a 12-year-old girl during tilt testing. A seven seconds asystolia was provoked. The haemodynamic par...

The article by Kouakam et al. in issue 22/17 is a prospective observational study of syncope recurrence in 101 children (mean age 12·6 3; range 7–18 years) undergoing head-up tilt testing for investigation of recurrent unexplained syncope or presyncope. Data are presented for patients recruited between 1990 and 1998, and followed-up for an average of 4 years. Head-up tilt was initially positive...