title: Syncope: causes, clinical evaluation, and current therapy.
abstract: Syncope is a common clinical problem comprising the sudden loss of both consciousness and postural tone, with a subsequent spontaneous and relatively prompt recovery. Often it is difficult to differentiate a true syncopal spell from other conditions, such as seizure disorders, or from some simple accidents. Even more difficult is the identification of the cause of syncopal episodes. Nonetheless, establishing a definitive diagnosis ia an important task given the high risk of recurrent symptoms. Careful use of noninvasive and invasive cardiovascular studies (including electrophysiologic testing and tilt-table testing) along with selected hematologic, biochemical, and neurologic studies provides, in the majority of cases, the most effective strategy for obtaining a specific diagnosis and for directing therapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine (Cardiovascular Division), University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis 55455.
authors.forename: D G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Benditt
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Remole
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Milstein
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bailin
mesh_terms: D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004562:Electrocardiography; D006801:Humans; D009460:Neurologic Examination; D012307:Risk Factors; D013575:Syncope / Q000209:etiology*