Background
: The German tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy (TTC) registry has been initiated to further evaluate this syndrome in a western population. We aimed to assess different patterns of left ventricular involvement in TTC.
Methods
: Inclusion criteria were: 1) acute chest symptoms, 2) reversible ECG changes (ST-segment elevation±T-wave inversion), 3) reversible left ventricular dysfunction with a wall motion abnormality not corresponding to a single coronary artery territory, 4) no significant coronary artery stenoses.
Results
: A total of 258 patients (pts) from 33 centers were included with a mean age of 68±12 years. Left ventriculography revealed the typical pattern of apical ballooning in 170 pts (66%) and an atypical mid-ventricular ballooning with normal wall motion of the apical and basal segments in 88 pts (34%). Mean age (68±11 vs 67±13 years) and gender distribution (150 women/20 men vs 80 women/8 men) were similar in both groups. Triggering events were present in 78% of the pts with apical ballooning (35% emotional, 34 physical and 9% combination) and in 75% of the pts with mid-ventricular ballooning (39% emotional, 25% physical and 11% combination). As assessed by left ventriculography, ejection fraction was significantly lower in pts with mid-ventricular ballooning (50±15% vs 45±13%, p=0.006). There was no difference in right ventricular involvement. Creatine kinase and troponin I were comparable in both groups. The ECG on admission showed ST-segment elevation in 87% of pts with apical ballooning and in 78% of pts with mid-ventricular ballooning. T-wave inversion was seen in 70% of the pts irrespective of the TTC variant. A Q-wave was significantly less present in pts with mid-ventricular ballooning (30% vs 16%, p=0.04). The QTc interval during the first 3 days was not different among both groups.
Conclusion
: A variant form with mid-ventricular ballooning was observed in one third of the pts with TTC. Left ventricular ejection fraction was significantly lower in these pts, although they revealed significantly less Q-waves on the admission ECG. All other parameters were similar and confirm the concept that apical and mid-ventricular ballooning represent two different manifestations of the same syndrome.
