Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 19, 2025

Tilt Testing with Combined Lower Body Negative Pressure: a "Gold Standard" for Measuring Orthostatic Tolerance
Published on: March 21, 2013
Todd's paresis following vasovagal syncope provoked by tilt-table testing
David Moloney1,2, Laura Perez Pérez-Denia3,4, Rose Anne Kenny3,4
1Falls and Syncope Unit, Mercer's Institute for Successful Ageing, St James's Hospital, Dublin, Ireland moloned3@tcd.ie.
Abstract:
A 38-year-old woman presented with a history of recurrent episodes of transient loss of consciousness (TLOC) with seizure-like activity and post-TLOC left sided paresis. Electroencephalogram and MRI of the brain were normal, and events were not controlled by anti-convulsant therapy. Tilt testing produced reflex mixed pattern vasovagal syncope, with exact symptom reproduction, including bilateral upper and lower limb myoclonic movements and post-TLOC left hemiparesis that persisted for 27 min. A witness for the tilt event confirmed reproduction of patients 'typical' TLOC event. Syncope is the most frequent cause of TLOC. Myoclonic movements during syncope are not uncommon and can be misdiagnosed as epilepsy. It is rare to experience paresis after syncope, which in this case, lead to misdiagnosis and unnecessary anti-convulsant treatment.

