Stress cardiomyopathy - Takotsubo
| Case description: Mimicking myocardial infarction by a stress cardiomyopathy
An 81-year-old woman with no cardiac history presented with acute chestpain which radiated to the left arm. The blood pressure was 140/80 mmHg and a heart rate of110/min. Physical examination revealed no abnormalities. The electrocardiogram was compatible with acute anterior myocardial infarction. (A) Immediate coronary angiography showed normal coronary arteries (B and C). A left ventricular (LV) angiogram revealed a Tako-tsubo-like cardiomyopathy, recognized by a hypercontractile base and a bulging out of the LV-apex at systole (D), which normalizes at diastole (E). This typical LV-angiogram resembles a local octopus trap in Japan , where this cardiomyopathy was first described. Although clinical presentation can be quite severe, prognosis is usually good with complete LV recovery. It occurs commonly in post-menopausal woman, usually provoked after extreme emotional stress. In a second interview, the patient told she had a severe emotional experience at a parking lot that morning, after which she developed chestpain. | |
| Courtesy of: Courtesy of M. Meuwissen, MD, PhD, AMC, The Netherlands | |
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| Figure A: Electrocardiogram | Movie B: Angiography RCA |
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| Movie C: Angiography LCA | Movie D: Left ventricular angiography |
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| Image E: Still frames of left ventricular angiography at end systole and end diastole | |
