What Can Adenosine Tell Us About Neurocardiogenic Syncope?

Adenosine plasma levels and A_2A adenosine receptor expression seem to correlate with different responses to different provocation tests.

In the evaluation of patients with neurocardiogenic syncope (NCS), the adenosine triphosphate (ATP) test and the tilt-table test are potentially complementary. However, the clinical usefulness of both tests is controversial because of poor correlation with the pattern of spontaneous syncope recently recorded by implantable loop devices. In fact, NCS is ill-defined, and novel tests might identify distinct subsets of NCS patients.

In a prospective study, 46 patients with suspected NCS (25 men; mean age, 57) underwent both tilt and ATP tests. Adenosine plasma level (APL) and A_2A receptor expression were measured before testing.

Test results were as follows:

Positive tilt test: 28 patients
Positive ATP test: 20 patients
Positive tilt and ATP tests: …

Reviewing Author

Beat J. Meyer, MD

Disclosures

Leadership positions in professional societiesBern Heart Foundation (President); International Academy of Medicine, Bern, Switzerland (Director)

Beat J. Meyer, MD

Disclosures

Leadership positions in professional societiesBern Heart Foundation (President); International Academy of Medicine, Bern, Switzerland (Director)

What Can Adenosine Tell Us About Neurocardiogenic Syncope?

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Reviewing Author