Takotsubo cardiomyopathy with secondary coronary embolus

BMJ Case Rep. 2014 Apr 25:2014:bcr2013203145. doi: 10.1136/bcr-2013-203145.

Abstract

We describe the case of a 65-year-old patient who was admitted to our tertiary centre with cardiac sounding chest pain and inferior ST elevation. Coronary angiography revealed mild plaque disease in the left anterior descending artery. The right coronary artery was smooth with no plaques with the exception of an occluded distal branch with no flow. The left ventriculogram revealed a ballooned and akinetic apex typical of Takotsubo syndrome (TS). We suspected a coronary embolus secondary to TS. A serial rise and fall in biomarkers of myocardial necrosis was noted. The patient was treated for acute coronary syndrome and discharged home 72 h from admission. Distal thromboembolism has been described in the literature before. On a search of PubMed there are no examples of coronary artery embolus in the context of TS.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Video-Audio Media

MeSH terms

  • Acute Coronary Syndrome / diagnosis
  • Acute Coronary Syndrome / diagnostic imaging
  • Acute Coronary Syndrome / etiology*
  • Aged
  • Coronary Angiography
  • Coronary Occlusion / diagnosis
  • Coronary Occlusion / diagnostic imaging
  • Coronary Occlusion / etiology*
  • Electrocardiography
  • Embolism / diagnostic imaging
  • Embolism / etiology*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Radionuclide Ventriculography
  • Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy / complications*
  • Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy / diagnostic imaging