title: Takotsubo cardiomyopathy: the challenging diagnosis in clinical routine.
abstract: Takotsubo cardiomyopathy is rapidly reversible heart failure syndrome that usually mimics the symptoms of acute myocardial infarction with the characteristic regional wall-motion abnormalities (classically with a virtual apical ballooning caused by hypokinetic or akinetic apical or midventricular myocardium and hypercontraction of the basal segments) and absence of obstructive coronary artery disease. TC is usually associated with identifiable emotional, psychological or physical stress event and most commonly appears in postmenopausal women. The certain pathophysiological mechanism remains unknown. However, the central hypothesis is supported by the excess of catecholamines and hyperactivity of nervous system. In the last decades the frequency of the TC diagnosis is increasing rapidly but at the initial presentation the diagnosis remains challenging due to the close similarities between TC and ST elevation myocardial infarction clinical presentations that consider TC as an important part of differential diagnosis in acute coronary syndrome.
authors: Department of Cardiology, Medical Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania.
authors: Eglė
authors: E
authors: Kazakauskaitė
authors: Department of Radiology, Medical Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania.
authors: Antanas
authors: A
authors: Jankauskas
authors: Department of Cardiology, Medical Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania.
authors: Tomas
authors: T
authors: Lapinskas
authors: Department of Cardiology, Medical Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania.
authors: Rasa
authors: R
authors: Ordienė
authors: Department of Cardiology, Medical Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania. Electronic address: eglerem@yahoo.com.
authors: Eglė
authors: E
authors: Ereminienė
mesh_terms: D054058:Acute Coronary Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000175:diagnosis; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000175:diagnosis; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications; D054549:Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy
keywords: Apical ballooning; Excess of catecholamines; Takotsubo cardiomyopathy