Defining and classifying syncope.
There is no widely adopted definition or classification of syncope and related disorders. This lack of uniformity harms patient care, research, and medical education. In this article, syncope is defined as a form of transient loss of consciousness (TLOC) due to cerebral hypoperfusion. Differences between syncope and other causes of TLOC such as epilepsy, and disorders mimicking TLOC are described. A pathophysiological classification of syncope is proposed.
Dept. of Neurology & Clinical Neurophysiology, Leiden University Medical Centre, P.O. Box 9600, 2300 RC Leiden, The Netherlands.
Roland D
RD
Thijs
Wouter
W
Wieling
Horacio
H
Kaufmann
Gert
G
van Dijk
D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D002546:Ischemic Attack, Transient / Q000150:complications; D013575:Syncope / Q000145:classification* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D009626:Terminology as Topic