[A descriptive analysis of 81 patients referred to a neurology clinic for syncope]

Syncope is a frequent medical problem which is disabling, potentially serious and difficult to treat. Although patients with syncope are often sent to Neurology clinics for investigation we have found no published report analysing this.

To analyze the aetiology of the cases of syncope referred to a Neurology Clinic and also the diagnostic usefulness of the investigations requested, particularly those of neuroimaging, electroencephalogram (EEG) and vascular studies.

A prospective study of the patients referred for syncope to a Neurology Outpatient Clinic. The patients were classified into three groups: 1. Epileptic seizure, if the clinical history suggested the possibility of a convulsion rather than a syncope. 2. Syncope of neurological origin, when the syncope is due to a neurological disorder. 3. Non neurological cause of the syncope when the syncope was not due to neurological disease.

We included 81 patients, who made up 4.3% of the patients seen in the Neurology Clinic. Epileptic seizures made up 10% and the other 90% were due to non neurological causes. There was 0% usefulness of neuroimaging investigations and vascular studies. The EEG showed epileptiform changes in 9% of the patients, with non neurological syncopes.

In patients with syncope neurological investigations are not very useful.