Background: The etiology of tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy, defined as a transient left ventricular dysfunction in the absence of significant coronary artery stenosis, still remains unclear. This syndrome mainly occurs in postmenopausal women and is often associated with emotional stress or miscellaneous diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. Estimated prevalence of tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy is found in 1% to 2% of patients presenting with suspected acute coronary syndrome. So far there has been only one case report of tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy in a renal transplant recipient.
Case report: We describe the case of a 68-year-old woman with a history of coronary artery disease and coronary artery bypass grafting in whom unspecific transient chest pain and hypotension were observed on the first day after renal transplantation. After transplantation, the patient was anuric with pulmonary congestion and toxic tacrolimus concentrations were observed. Electrocardiogram showed sinus rhythm with left bundle branch block (LBBB) that has not been described before. Plasma cardiac necrosis markers troponin I and creatine kinase MB were mildly elevated. Echocardiography showed severe left ventricular function impairment with characteristic shape of left ventricle. Subsequent cardiac catheterization revealed the absence of angiographic evidence of acute plaque rupture within both coronary arteries and bypass grafts. During the next few days there was marked clinical improvement with resolution of LBBB and full recovery of all biochemical parameters. On discharge, full functional recovery of the left ventricle in echocardiography was observed. Postulated mechanisms of tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy include catecholamine excess, coronary artery spasm, and microvascular dysfunction. On the other hand calcineurin inhibitors are known factors causing coronary epicardial endothelial dysfunction and negatively affecting vasomotor function.
Conclusions: Tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy in patients after renal transplantation may be at least in part a manifestation of calcineurin inhibitor cardiotoxicity.