Clinical Autonomic Testing Laboratory

Careful clinical evaluation and quantitative measurement of autonomic function are often required together to define an autonomic nervous system problem. Autonomic testing includes evaluation of the function of several important autonomic reflexes.

What we do

The autonomic testing includes several components: the quantitative sudomotor axon reflex test (QSART, an evaluation of the integrity of the small nerves that control sweat glands), heart rate variability (HRV, an evaluation of the ability to regulate heart rate), baroreflex response to Valsalva (an evaluation of the ability to regulate blood pressure), and tilt table testing (to look for abnormal responses to changes in posture). Additional tests are sometimes utilized in selected cases, such as pupil testing, the cold water pressor test, or skin biopsy. Taken together, the results of these tests can determine if there is a problem with the autonomic nervous system and help point to a specific diagnosis.

The team comprises technicians and subspecialty physicians.

We currently operate three outpatient autonomic function testing laboratories:

• UT Southwestern Aston Clinic
• Parkland Heath Anderson Outpatient Clinic
• VA North Texas Health Care System

Our team performs more than 500 autonomic function tests each year bringing patients to our clinic from all over the United States.