Br. Fang et Lt. Kuo, Usefulness of head-up tilt test in the evaluation and management of unexplained syncope or pre-syncope, JPN HEART J, 41(5), 2000, pp. 623-631
This study included 87 consecutive patients with unexplained syncope or pre
-syncope who had undergone the head-up tilt (HUT) test with concomitant iso
proterenol infusion. A positive response was defined as development of sync
ope or pre-syncope in association with substantial hypotension (decline of
systolic blood pressure greater than or equal to 20 mmHg). Coronary artery
spasm was suggested from the clinical symptoms and electrocardiographic fin
dings in 1 patient (1 / 87 = 1.1%). Intolerance to isoproterenol infusion w
as noted in 8 cases (8 / 87 = 9%). Of the 78 patients who completed the stu
dy, 73 showed positive responses (73 / 78 = 94%). (baseline systolic blood
pressure = 125 +/- 23 mmHg vs endpoint systolic blood pressure = 76 +/- 11
mmHg, p < 0.05; baseline heart rate = 73 +/- 14 beats per minute vs endpoin
t HR = 80 +/- 24 beats per minute, p < 0.05). In 73 patients who showed pos
itive responses, the systolic blood pressure (SBP) and heart rate (WR) retu
rned to a safe level at 2 minutes when the patients were returned to a supi
ne position (post-study 2 minutes SBP = 124 +/- 18 mmHg vs baseline SBP = 1
25 +/- 23 mmHg, p = NS; post-study 2 minutes HR = 82 +/- 18 beats per minut
e vs baseline HR = 73 +/- 14 brats per minute, p < 0.05). All 73 patients w
ith a positive HUT test received Atenolol therapy (50 mg daily). Only 35 of
these 73 patients took Atenolol regularly and had a repeat HUT test. After
atenolol therapy, persistent positive responses were observed in 19 cases
(19 / 35 = 54%) and negative responses were noted in 16 cases (16 / 35 = 46
%). The mean dosage of isoproterenol needed to provoke a positive HUT test
in 19 patients who had received Atenolol therapy and had a positive repeat
HUT test was 2.3 +/- 1.2 <mu>g / min at baseline and 3.5 +/- 0.9 mug / min
for post-Atenolol therapy (p < 0.001). Sixteen patients with a negative rep
eat T-TUT test were treated continuously with Atenolol and followed for a m
ean period of 13 +/- 11 months (range, 1-34 months). All 16 patients were f
ree of syncope or pre-syncope during the period of follow up. In conclusion
, the HUT test is mostly well tolerated and safe, even though the test has
a low rate of adverse effects. Atenolol is effective for the prevention of
provoked or spontaneous recurrent syncope or pre-syncope.