A Study of the Relationship between Syncope Attacks and Diminished Carotid and Vertebral Artery Flow Using Doppler Ultrasonography of Cervical Vessels

Abstract

Background:Syncope or drop attack is a common and potentially serious condition and prompt evaluation of the affected patients should be evaluated prompting for cardiac disease, seizure, structural lesions of the brain or peripheral nerves, as well as drug induced and metabolic disturbances. This study was conducted to evaluate carotid and vertebral arteries blood flow in patients with syncope in which other etiologies had been ruled out. Methods: This one-year retrospective case-control study involved 33 patients (case group) and 33 normal individuals (control group). Carotid and vertebral arteries blood flow was measured in all subjects (ml/min) and SPSS was used for data analysis. Results: Mean blood flow in vertebral arteries in the case group was significantly lower than in the control group (P<0.001), however mean carotid artery flow was not significantly different between them (P=0.58). Conclusion: Based on our results and findings of some other studies, we recommend duplex ultrasonography of vertebral and cervical arteries in patients suffering from drop attacks, after ruling out the prominent etiologies, such as seizure, heart disease, etc. Keywords: syncope, ultrasound, carotid artery, vertebral artery