TY - JOUR
T1 - Neurocardiogenic syncope and epilepsy in pediatric age
T2 - The diagnostic value of electroencephalogram-electrocardiogram holter
AU - Mastrangelo, Mario
AU - Mariani, Rosanna
AU - Ursitti, Fabiana
AU - Papetti, Laura
AU - Iannetti, Paola
PY - 2011/1
Y1 - 2011/1
N2 - Neurocardiogenic syncope is induced by a hyperrecruitment of parasympathetic nerve tone elicited by emotional stress or pain. The presence of a transient loss of consciousness associated with involuntary motor activity or with urinary incontinence and the misinterpretation of anamnestic data or of electroencephalogram (EEG) abnormalities often leads to wrong diagnosis of epilepsy in children with this disorder.Careful and systematic history taking, pressure measurement, electrocardiogram (ECG), and, in selected cases, head-up tilt table testing are generally enough to rule out a cardiogenic or a neurocardiogenic syncope. Simultaneous EEG-ECG Holter represents a useful instrument for differential diagnosis between neurocardiogenic syncope and epilepsy.We report 3 case reports to demonstrate how simultaneous EEG-ECG Holter can contribute to characterize functional heart-brain interactions and the exact sequence of the physiopathologic events leading to the loss of consciousness in cases in which the clinical borders with epileptic disorders are particularly subtle.
AB - Neurocardiogenic syncope is induced by a hyperrecruitment of parasympathetic nerve tone elicited by emotional stress or pain. The presence of a transient loss of consciousness associated with involuntary motor activity or with urinary incontinence and the misinterpretation of anamnestic data or of electroencephalogram (EEG) abnormalities often leads to wrong diagnosis of epilepsy in children with this disorder.Careful and systematic history taking, pressure measurement, electrocardiogram (ECG), and, in selected cases, head-up tilt table testing are generally enough to rule out a cardiogenic or a neurocardiogenic syncope. Simultaneous EEG-ECG Holter represents a useful instrument for differential diagnosis between neurocardiogenic syncope and epilepsy.We report 3 case reports to demonstrate how simultaneous EEG-ECG Holter can contribute to characterize functional heart-brain interactions and the exact sequence of the physiopathologic events leading to the loss of consciousness in cases in which the clinical borders with epileptic disorders are particularly subtle.
KW - EEG-ECG Holter
KW - epilepsy
KW - head-up tilt table testing
KW - Neurocardiogenic syncope
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=78751509271&partnerID=8YFLogxK
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U2 - 10.1097/PEC.0b013e3182045c11
DO - 10.1097/PEC.0b013e3182045c11
M3 - Article
C2 - 21206254
AN - SCOPUS:78751509271
VL - 27
SP - 36
EP - 39
JO - Pediatric Emergency Care
JF - Pediatric Emergency Care
SN - 0749-5161
IS - 1
ER -