[Diagnosis and treatment of vasovagal syncope in the child and adolescent]

Recurrent unexplained syncope is a common and often frustrating clinical problem in paediatrics. Over the last decade, head upright tilt table testing has emerged as an important diagnostic method for the identification of patients whose syncope is likely to be neurocardiogenic in origin. At the same time, tilt table testing, by providing syncopal episodes in a controlled setting, has allowed for a greater understanding of their physiopathology. Treatment strategies remain controversial but beta-blocker therapy appears to be very efficient.