[Syncope]

Syncope may be due to cardiac, vascular or cerebral disease. The cause of syncope is not established in up to 50-60% of cases. Where a diagnosis is possible, the patient's history, physical examination, ECG and prolonged ECG monitoring serve to establish the underlying disease in most cases. Additional diagnostic tests should only be performed in patients with possible cardiac syncope, since these cases show a higher mortality rate during follow-up than patients with non-cardiac syncope. Finally, newer therapeutical approaches, including permanent cardiac pacing in recurrent vasovagal syncope, are discussed.