Carotid Sinus Syndrome: a review of the literature and our experience using carotid sinus denervation.

Background: The Carotid Sinus Syndrome (CSS) is a rare condition causing spontaneous syncopal attacks or marked dizziness.

Methods: We studied 28 patients affected by CSS from January 1991 to October 1996. Eleven patients affected by cardioinhibitory type were treated by pace-maker (PM) implant. Seventeen patients had mixed type and all, but one who refused any treatment, entered this study. Carotid Sinus Denervation (CSD) was first performed in 2 of 10 patients who remained symptomatic after PM and in 6 patients as first choice therapy.

Results: At a mean follow-up of 30 months no patient submitted to CSD had recurrent syncopal attacks or dizziness.

Conclusions: CSD is a safe and simple technique to abolish either the cardioinhibitory or the vasodepressor response in CSS.