Epileptic Disorders
MENUSevere cardioinhibitory vasovagal syncope in sleep and supine posture Volume 16, issue 1, March 2014
Authors
1 Department of Neuroscience, Monash Medical Centre, Clayton
2 Department of Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
* Correspondence:
Udaya Seneviratne
Department of Neuroscience,
Monash Medical Centre,
Clayton VIC 3168,
Australia
- Key words: convulsive syncope, epilepsy, cardiac, nocturnal seizure, diagnosis, EEG
- DOI : 10.1684/epd.2014.0627
- Page(s) : 101-6
- Published in: 2014
Severe cardioinhibitory vasovagal syndrome is characterised by syncope accompanied by cardiac asystole which may lead clinically to seizure-like motor activity. Vasovagal syncope usually occurs in erect posture and is often provoked by emotional or physical triggers. We report two patients who presented with severe cardioinhibitory vasovagal syncope accompanied by cardiac asystole resulting in seizure-like motor manifestations in sleep and supine posture. Both cases were initially diagnosed as epilepsy and treated with antiepileptic drugs. We discuss the putative mechanisms of this rare condition and its potential for misdiagnosis as epilepsy. [Published with video sequences]