The Value of Tilt Testing and Autonomic Nervous System Assessment

Tilt testing for the investigation of syncope was introduced in 1986. Since then, it has propagated worldwide as a routine test to determine the cause of transient loss of consciousness when that event has not been diagnosed by history, including that of a witness, physical examination, supine and erect blood pressures, and 12-lead electrocardiogram. Tilt testing allows reproduction of syncope with monitoring of physiologic parameters including electrocardiogram, beat-to-beat blood pressure, electroencephalogram, and middle cerebral artery blood-flow velocity. As a result, much has been learned about syncope.