AUTHOR=Zhang Zhening , Jiang Xingyuan , Han Lu , Chen Selena , Tao Ling , Tao Chunyan , Tian Hong , Du Junbao
TITLE=Differential Diagnostic Models Between Vasovagal Syncope and Psychogenic Pseudosyncope in Children
JOURNAL=Frontiers in Neurology
VOLUME=Volume 10 - 2019
YEAR=2020
URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neurology/articles/10.3389/fneur.2019.01392
DOI=10.3389/fneur.2019.01392
ISSN=1664-2295
ABSTRACT=Objective: We aimed to establish useful models for the clinical differential diagnosis between vasovagal syncope (VVS) and psychogenic pseudosyncope (PPS).
Methods: This bicentric study included 176 patients (150 VVS and 26 PPS cases) for model development. Based on the results of univariate and multivariate analyses, a logistic regression model and a scoring model were established and their abilities to differentiate VVS from PPS were tested. Another 78 patients (53 VVS and 25 PPS) were used for external validation.
Results: In the logistic regression model, the outcome indicated that the QT-dispersion (QTd) (P < 0.001), syncope duration (P < 0.001), and upright posture (P < 0.001) acted as independent factors for the differentiation of VVS from PPS, which generated an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.892. A cutoff value of 0.234 yielded a sensitivity and specificity of 89.3 and 80.8%, respectively, for the differentiation between VVS and PPS in the logistic regression model. In the scoring model which consists of three variables, a cutoff score of three points yielded a sensitivity and specificity of 91.3 and 76.9%, respectively, with an AUC of 0.909. The external validation test indicated that the negative and positive predictive values of the scoring model were 78.8 and 91.7%, respectively, and the accuracy was 80.8%.
Conclusion: The scoring model consisting of three variables is an easy-to-perform, inexpensive, and non-invasive measure for initial differential diagnosis between VVS and PPS.