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[Physiopathology of vasovagal syncope: review of the most endorsed theories and recent findings].

Vasovagal syncope is associated with an abnormal reflex and the physiopathological mechanisms of the phenomenon overall are only partially known. Experimental and clinical studies suggest that the main factor which triggers the syncope is the brusque interruption of the alpha-adrenergic tone with marked, sudden peripheral vasodilation. Although documented, vagal hypertony, with consequent bradycardia and asystolia, is only occasional and is almost always a secondary phenomenon. The most commonly suggested cause of vasovagal syncope is a Bezold-Jarish reflex starting from the cardiac receptors in the walls of the ventricle, mediated by the paradoxical activation of afferent vagal fibres. However, recent studies are suggesting that there may be other pathogenetic mechanisms such as the paradoxical activation of the venous-atrial baroceptors and other "extracardiac" vascular receptors. The neuro-endocrine aspect of the vasovagal reaction is very complex and in spite of the many studies carried out on the catecholamine, renal-angiotensive system, arginine-vasopressin, and b-endorphine trends, there are still many points awaiting clarification. The response of the autonomous nervous system linked to age also require further research.

Age Factors↗

[The significance of measuring blood flow in the common carotid artery by the Doppler method for detection of orthostatic disturbances of the cardiovascular system in children].

In 35 children of either sex, aged 11-15 years with orthostatic disturbances and in 35 children of the same age without these disturbances, the maximal blood flow rate was assessed in the common carotid artery using Doppler technique during 10-minute passive orthostatic test on a tilting table. During passive tilting to upright position, the mean values of the maximal blood flow rate in the children with orthostatic disturbances were lower than those in the healthy children. The measurement of the maximal blood flow rate in the common carotid artery by the Doppler method may be a useful clinical method of detection of functional cardiovascular disturbances connected with body position in children.

Adolescent↗

Cardiovascular deconditioning occurs during a 7-day saturation dive at 31 ATA.

Cardiovascular deconditioning (CD) has been reported to occur within 24-48 h of exposure to 4, 11, or 31 ATA environment and following decompression to sea level pressure. The CD was indicated by orthostatic intolerance, exaggerated cardiovascular responses to a passive tilt, an elevated resting heart rate and a reduced stroke volume postdive. In this dive, one of the New Seatopia series, we used a non-syncope criterion, the cardiovascular index of deconditioning (CID; Bungo MW, Johnson PJ Jr. Aviat Space Environ Med 1983; 54:1001), to evaluate CD in 3 male subjects. The CID sums the changes in heart rate and blood pressure in response to orthostatic stress. An elevated CID indicates CD. We used a passive 70 degrees head up tilt as the orthostatic stress. The CID was measured before and after a bout of underwater exercise at predive, during the early, mid, and late exposure of the 7-d 31 ATA, and after the dive. The CID and circulatory responses to tilt were similar before and after the exercise. The CID increased (p < 0.05) from the predive value of 20 +/- 1.6 to 25 +/- 0.9 on the 2nd day, to 25 +/- 0.8 on the 4th day at 31 ATA, indicating the presence of CD at the early and mid periods of hyperbaric exposure. However, CID was indifferent (18 +/- 0.6) from the predive on the 7th day at 31 ATA. The increased CID corresponded to decreases in plasma volume during the early and mid periods of 31 ATA exposure.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗

[Autonomic failure as the cause of vertigo and syncope].

BACKGROUND: Vertigo and syncope often occur during orthostatic conditions. A possible cause is asympathicotonic dysregulation with a fall of blood pressure and no increase in heart rate. After the exclusion of secondary disturbances of autonomic innervation. g. in diabetes mellitus, and pharmacological side effects, e.g. tricyclic antidepressants, primary reasons must be considered. We present 2 cases of primary autonomic failure. PATIENTS: Patient 1 had Parkinson-syndrome, impaired bladder function and orthostatic dysregulation with a maximal drop of blood pressure to 60/40 mm Hg. Patient 2 showed orthostatic dysregulation with a minimal blood pressure of 70/30 mm Hg without further symptoms, in a tilt table examination catecholamines were measured during orthostatic conditions. Patient 1 had normal, and patient 2 very low resting catecholamine plasma levels. Neither patient reacted with a rise of plasma catecholamines when tilted to an upright position. These findings are diagnostic of multiple system atrophy (MSA) in patient 1 and pure autonomic failure (PAF) in patient 2. DISCUSSION: In PAP only dysautonomic symptoms are found. It has a favourable prognosis. MSA consists of an autonomic dysregulation in combination with parkinsonism, cerebellary and bulbar symptoms, prognosis quo ad vitam is poor. Diagnosis is often established by a tilt table examination and radiology findings, and is often late. Treatment of both diseases consists of pharmacological, e.g. fludrocortisone, vasopressin analogues and ergotamine tartrate as well as non-pharmacological blood pressure stabilizing measures.

Adult↗

[Quantitative tilt table study with TCD monitoring. A reliable method for the diagnosis of neurocardiogenic syncope (vasovagal syncope)].

The clinical significance of quantitative tilt-table examination with TCD monitoring in the diagnosis of neurocardiogenic syncope is evaluated. A 50-year-old male suffered a neurocardiogenic syncope during tilt-table examination with a strong drop in blood pressure, an increase in cerebrovascular resistance as evidenced by transcranial Doppler monitoring, and a 30-s cardiac asystole, followed by a generalized seizure. No further syncope could be elicited during tilt-table examination after beta-blocker treatment. It was hypothesized that hyperactivity of the left ventricular mechanoreceptors due to increased force of ventricular contraction during a state of reduced venous backstream to the heart was responsible for eliciting the neurocardiogenic syncope. Tilt-table examination with an upright position for at least 45 min enables the diagnosis of a neurocardiogenic syncope to be made with sufficient sensitivity and specificity. Several studies have shown that medication with beta-blockers is successful in the treatment of neurocardiogenic syncope. The implantation of cardiac pacemakers should only be considered if medication is not successful.

Adrenergic beta-Antagonists↗

Femoral flow response to lower body negative pressure: an orthostatic tolerance test.

UNLABELLED: The objective was to check, during a lower body negative pressure (LBNP) test, new vascular parameters for the detection of orthostatic intolerance induced by head-down-tilt (HDT) and spaceflight. METHODS: The lower-limb volume flow and vascular resistance were evaluated by Doppler ultrasound. The HDT population consisted of two groups: control [6 subjects resting in a HDT (-6 degrees) position for 28 d] and countermeasure (6 subjects also in HDT for 28 d, but with repeated LBNP and exercise). The LBNP orthostatic test (four steps: -20, -30, -40, -50 mm Hg, of 3 min each) was performed before, during, and after the HDT. For the 14-d spaceflight (Antares) the cosmonaut underwent the LBNP test (10 min at -25 mm Hg and 10 min at -45 mm Hg), at preflight (3 times), inflight (day 11), and postflight (twice). RESULTS: HDT--As the LBNP pressure decreased, the femoral blood flow decreased and the lower-limb vascular resistances increased in both HDT groups. In the control group the femoral flow was less reduced, at each of the 4 levels of depressure (p < 0.01). The amplitude of the leg vascular resistances was reduced at -40 mm Hg, and at -50 mm Hg, on HDT day 15 in both groups (before LBNP, after 1 week's exercise for the countermeasure group), and on post-HDT day 1 (p < 0.01) only in the control group. The femoral vascular resistance response had completely recovered in the countermeasure group on post-HDT day 1. During the post-HDT tilt table test, all 6 controls had a drop in blood pressure of 20 mm Hg (4 subjects) or 10 mm Hg (2 subjects); 3 had pre-syncopal symptoms. The HDT countermeasure subjects had neither any clinical signs of orthostatic intolerance nor any blood pressure drop. 14d-Spaceflight--During the flight, the cosmonaut did not use any countermeasures (exercise, LBNP). On flight day +11, and on postflight day 3, the femoral vascular resistance response to LBNP was decreased as observed in the control group on HDT day +15 and post HDT. On postflight day 7, the femoral response had completely recovered. The middle cerebral flow response to the various pre-, in-, and postflight LBNP tests consisted of a slight decrease of the cerebral flow together with resistances of comparable amplitude (-10 to -20%) to those measured during the same LBNP test in the HDT control group. CONCLUSION: The femoral hemodynamics are much more disturbed than the cerebral ones in vascular deconditioning. The assessment of the lower limb vascular reactivity will be of interest in predicting orthostatic intolerance, and checking the efficiency of counter-measures.

Cardiovascular Deconditioning↗

Orthostatic tolerance at different times of the day in physically average and very fit dayworkers.

We studied the relationship between the physical exercise capacity and the orthostatic tolerance of physically average fit and very fit dayworkers at different times of the day. Six male railroad workers were physically very fit and six were averagely fit (mean of the maximal oxygen consumption 57.4 and 34.6 ml.kg-1.min-1, respectively. The mean age was 32 years. The orthostatic tests were performed with a tilt-table at 2.00, 6.00, 10.00, 14.00, 18.00, and 22.00 hours on six different days. Orthostatic lability at night was seen in both groups. At 14.00 and 18.00 hours the orthostatic tolerance in average fit men was slightly lower than in very fit men. This difference in the orthostatic tolerance between the groups may be a sign of the interdependence of good exercise tolerance and orthostatic tolerance.

Adult↗

Significance of daily rhythm for the interpretation of functional diagnostic procedures.

For the first time, the reaction of the cardiovascular system during day and night in young people was examined. We were mostly interested in the influence of the nervous system and any autonomic mechanism. We examined 20 subjects at 4-hour intervals on the ergometer (active exercise) and on the tilt-table (passive exercise) to find out the rhythm in the circulatory regulation. The test person was kept in vertical position on the tilt-table for 10 minutes. On the ergometer he had to perform a work-load of 100 Watt for 10 minutes. We measured pulse rate and blood pressure; we introduced new terms for the evaluation. "Orthostatic Index" and "Performance Index" will be further explained. The results were: A minimum in the orthostatic stability around 1 p.m. and 1--5 am, and a performance maximum at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. Further details will be reported.

Blood Pressure↗

Syncope: current diagnostic evaluation and management.

OBJECTIVE: To provide a comprehensive review of the causes, current diagnostic evaluation, and treatment of syncope. DATA IDENTIFICATION: New data and knowledge in this evolving field were critically analyzed by doing a MEDLINE search on syncope supplemented by selective review of English language literature citations in the Index Medicus before 1980. STUDY SELECTION: We reviewed approximately 200 published articles on syncope and closely related topics as well as using our own clinical experience. We selected articles if they addressed the pathophysiology of syncope, classification and causes, differential diagnosis, noninvasive and invasive evaluation, and current therapy. RESULTS OF DATA SYNTHESIS: Syncope is a common clinical problem, occurring in 30% to 50% of the adult population. The prognosis for syncope depends on its cause. Cardiac syncope has the worst prognosis and therefore mandates thorough evaluation and prompt treatment. Diagnostic evaluation is made difficult by the transient nature of the episodes and the many causes. Noninvasive testing reveals the cause of syncope in approximately 50% of cases. More extensive evaluation, including invasive electrophysiologic studies, has assumed a larger role in defining the cause of syncope in selected patients with structural heart disease in whom a noninvasive evaluation has been nondiagnostic. Recently tilt-table studies have been proposed as a clinically useful noninvasive test for vagally mediated syncope. CONCLUSIONS: A rational stepwise diagnostic and therapeutic approach to patients with syncope can be developed by initially doing a careful history and physical examination followed by a noninvasive evaluation and selective use of additional, more specialized or invasive tests. Future research should focus on defining the validity and utility of current diagnostic testing in syncope and on exploring further the pathophysiology of patients with recurrent, unexplained syncope.

Cardiovascular Diseases↗

Case reports and studies of paraneoplastic hypotension: abnormal low pressure baroreceptor responses.

Intrathoracic stretch receptors regulate adjustments of the vasculature to gravitational changes and influence urinary water and solute excretion. Few reports of pathologic states involving interruption of these regulatory mechanisms have appeared. Two patients with orthostatic hypotenstion related to advanced intrathoracic carcinoma were studied, utilizing tilt-table examinations and immersion of the entire body in water to test the function of their intrathoracic baroreceptor reflex arcs. Both patients showed abnormalities of antidiuretic hormone level and sodium excretion as compared with normal controls. This suggests that total immersion is a safe and convenient test of the low-pressure baroreceptor system in patients with suspected dysfunction. Three patients are also reported whose charts were reviewed posthumously. Although they were not tested in the laboratory, their clinical data suggest that they too had been suffering from an interference with the transmission of impulses from the intrathoracic receptors.

Adult↗

Transcranial Doppler evaluation of syncope: an application in aerospace physiology.

A non-invasive method which combines the simultaneous measurement of mean arterial blood pressure (MBP), heart rate (HR) and mean cerebral blood flow velocity (MFV) was used to monitor patients with history of syncope, in horizontal and vertical posture tilt at 80 degrees. MFV in the right middle cerebral artery was measured using a transcranial Doppler instrument (TCD). MFV decreased concurrently with the onset of symptoms, and at the time of syncope reached an average of 68% below pre-tilt values. At the same time MBP showed an average decline of 25%, and HR increased by 38%. There was no correlation between MBP and MFV, at the onset of tilt, presyncope and syncope. MFV, but not HR or MBP, showed significant transition from one condition to the other. These data suggest that there may be a useful application of TCD measurements of MFV in aeromedical evaluation of syncope or syncopal tendency. These measurements would necessarily be used in conjunction with a tilt-table procedure. The possibility exists that MFV might be useful to preclude the actual occurrence of syncope in test subjects, or to show an abnormal tendency toward syncope, but will require more extensive testing than that carried out in the present study.

Adult↗

[Vestibular ataxia caused by meningeal carcinomatosis].

A 74-year-old man developed progressive deafness and unsteady gait two years after gastrectomy for a gastric cancer. Neurological examination revealed an alert and intelligent Japanese male in no acute distress. The optic fundi were normal. The pupils and the extraocular muscles were normal, however, horizontal nystagmus was noted in right and left gaze. He showed marked bilateral deafness, and loss of caloric response bilaterally. No muscle atrophy nor weakness was noted. His gait was wide-based and ataxic. Tandem gait was impossible. Romberg sign was present. No cerebellar ataxia was noted in the finger-to-nose or the heel-to-knee test. No adiadochokinesis was noted. Hyperextensibility was noted in the lower extremities. Deep reflexes were normal in the upper limbs, and diminished in the lower extremities. Sensation was intact. He showed the jumbling phenomenon, and the disturbance of the righting reflex in the tilt-table examination. Neuroradiological as well as laboratory studies were unremarkable except for the high titer of CEA in the CSF. Four months after his admission, malignant tumor cells were found in the CSF. It seemed likely that he had completely lost bilateral vestibular and auditory functions caused by meningeal carcinomatosis. His disturbance of gait and station was apparently similar to cerebellar ataxic gait, however, he did not have limb ataxia. The cranial CT scans failed to show cerebellar atrophy. It was our impression that his motor disturbance was in all likelihood caused by the bilateral loss of vestibular functions, i.e., vestibular ataxia.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Aged↗

Evaluation of the effects of muscle stretch and weight load in patients with spastic paraplegia.

Clinical observations on patients with spastic paraplegia have indicated that a training regime including weight load on the lower limbs may reduce the muscular hypertonus. Due to the spontaneous fluctuations and great variability in muscle tone it is difficult to judge from clinical findings how the effects may be related to muscle stretch and weight load. Therefore, quantitative determination of the effects on muscle tone by stretch and loading was made in 9 paraplegic patients. Muscle tone was measured before and after 30 min of stretch or weight load in 8 sessions on 4 consecutive days. Stretch was obtained by bracing the foot in maximal dorsal flexion with patient in supine position. For weight load on the lower limbs, the patient stood on a tilt-table at an angle of 85 degrees with feet in 15 degrees dorsal or plantar flexion. Resistance to passive movements was determined during a series of sinusoidal ankle joint movements at three different speeds. After weight load in standing with the feet in dorsal or plantar flexion, the average reduction was 32 and 26%, respectively. After stretch in supine, the average reduction was 17%. Thus, the three procedures tested all resulted in reduction of muscle tone. The largest reductions were obtained by weight load with stretch imposed upon the calf muscles.

Adult↗

Effects of a single session of prolonged plantarflexor stretch on muscle activations during gait in spastic cerebral palsy.

Activations of the triceps surae (TS) and tibialis anterior (TA) muscles during gait were studied in children with spastic cerebral palsy (CP) immediately before and after 30 min of standing on a tilt-table with the ankle dorsiflexed to stretch the TS in the experimental group (n = 8) or after a rest period in the control group (n = 11). The EMG activity from the TS and TA was recorded concomitantly with electronic footswitch signals by a computer. Video records were made of the sagittal gait movements. Effects of PMS were determined by comparing change scores for selected spatiotemporal and muscle activation parameters between the groups. The change scores defined for the muscle activations were: a post-test/pre-test ratio of the EMG activity in specific segments of the gait cycle and a locomotor spasticity index. PMS did not significantly (p greater than 0.05) affect any of the spatiotemporal parameters nor did it alter any of the TS and most of the TA activation parameters or the SI indexes for the TS and TA. Only the TA post/pre activation ratio for the 0-16% segment of the gait cycle was smaller (p less than 0.01), indicating a decrease in TA activation post-PMS.

Adolescent↗