Prediction value of recurrent syncope in vasovagal syncope with head-up tilt table test

Objective: To probe predictive value of recurrent syncope in vasovagal syncope (VVS) with head-up tilt table test (HUTT). Methods: There were 429 (male 163 and female 266) patients of unexplained syncope (UPS) who came from syncope department or were hospitalized in the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, and the basic head-up tilt table test (BHUT) with power tilt table were made for them. Negative cases of BHUT were given sublingual glyceryl trinitrate 0.2 mg and sublingual nitroglycerin, and then head-up tilt table test (SNHUT) was made. The patients were divided into two groups: occasional syncope group (n=112, syncope episode only once) and recurrent syncope group (n=317, syncope episode more than once). The relation between the positive rate of two groups and syncope frequency was observed. These data were treated statistically by computer with SPSS 11.0 software. Results: ①The relation between the positive rate of BHUT+SNHUT and syncope frequency: the positive rate had no significant difference between occasional syncope group and recurrent syncope group (36.61% vs 37.22%, P0.05). There was no significant difference between male and female in occasional and recurrent syncope group (P0.05). ②The relation between the positive rate of either BHUT or SNHUT and syncope frequency: The positive rate was lower in occasional syncope group than in recurrent syncope group (15.09% vs 33.33%, P0.05), and was more in female than in male (34.25% vs 14.15%, P0.01) in BHUT. The positive rate was less in occasional syncope group than in recurrent syncope group (10.69% vs 40.88%, P0.05), and was of no difference in male and female (50.88% vs 62.35%, P0.05) in SNHUT. Conclusion: BHUT and(or) SNHUT are (is) not related to syncope frequency. The positive rate of HUTT can′t predict recurrent syncope episodes in VVS.