title: Syncope.
abstract: Syncope is defined as an acute, brief and transient loss of consciousness and postural tone with spontaneous and complete recovery. Neurovascular ultrasound has contributed to elucidate the underlying mechanism of different types of syncope. In routine diagnostic work-up of patients with syncope, however, neurovascular ultrasound is not among the first line tools. In particular, an ultrasound search for occlusive cerebro-vascular disease is of limited value because cerebral artery obstruction is a very rare and questionable cause of syncope. Transcranial Doppler sonography monitoring of the cerebral arteries is useful in the diagnostic work-up of patients with suspicion of postural related, cerebrovascular, cough and psychogenic syncope, and in some cases for differentiating focal epileptic seizures from transient ischemic attacks and migraine with aura.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University Hospital, Inselspital, Bern, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Arto C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Nirkko
authors.forename: Ralf W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Baumgartner
mesh_terms: D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D002536:Cerebral Arteries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation / Q000502:physiology; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D002546:Ischemic Attack, Transient / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D020325:Migraine with Aura / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D013575:Syncope / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D018608:Ultrasonography, Doppler / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards / Q000639:trends