Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Nogués, M
• Delorme, R
• Saadia, D
• Heidel, K
• Benarroch, E

Titel

Postural tachycardia syndrome in syringomyelia: response to fludrocortisone and beta-blockers

Ist Teil von

• Clinical autonomic research, 2001-08, Vol.11 (4), p.265-267

Ort / Verlag

Germany

Erscheinungsjahr

2001

Quelle

SpringerLINK Contemporary (Konsortium Baden-Württemberg)

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Orthostatic intolerance is occasionally reported by patients with syringomyelia and is usually attributed to vestibular symptoms or neurogenic orthostatic hypotension. Postural tachycardia syndrome has not been previously described in syringomyelia. A patient with long-standing syringomyelia and a Chiari type I anomaly developed disabling "panic-like" attacks associated to orthostatic intolerance five years after posterior fossa decompression and shunting of the syrinx. A head-up tilt test showed an early phase of postural orthostatic tachycardia followed by progressive arterial hypotension and bradycardia as seen in neurally mediated syncope. A magnetic resonance imaging scan showed a collapsed syrinx from the 3rd cervical to the 12th thoracic vertebra without syringobulbia. Fludrocortisone and beta-blockers led to resolution of symptoms. Partial sympathetic denervation of the legs in syringomyelia might explain the occasional occurrence of postural tachycardia syndrome. Postural tachycardia syndrome may be included as a possible cause of orthostatic symptoms in syringomyelia patients.