Diagnostic · Autonomic
Head-up tilt-table test
The standard way to catch what standing does to a struggling circulation, under controlled conditions. The tilt-table test raises a person upright while tracking heart rate and blood pressure, documenting POTS, orthostatic intolerance, or fainting that a seated exam cannot.
Short version: the tilt-table test provokes and records the body's response to being upright, confirming POTS or orthostatic intolerance. A simple stand test often comes first.
A controlled way to provoke the problem
The head-up tilt-table test straps a person to a table that tilts them upright while heart rate and blood pressure are recorded continuously. It reproduces, in a controlled way, what standing does to a struggling circulation, the trigger behind POTS and orthostatic intolerance.1
What it shows
It can document the sustained heart-rate rise that defines POTS, blood-pressure falls that point to other forms of orthostatic intolerance, or fainting patterns, distinguishing causes that look similar at the bedside.1
reference test
Tilt versus a simple stand test
A simple active-stand test captures much of the same information without equipment and is often the practical first step. Tilt testing adds value for unclear cases or fainting, but can itself provoke symptoms.
What we don't know
Honest about the edges of the evidence. These are open questions, not settled answers.
- When tilt adds value over a simple stand test.
- How to limit symptom provocation during the test.
- How results should guide treatment choice.
References
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