Cardiac arrest in a patient with normal coronary arteries

We describe the case of a 47-year-old woman who presented with the clinical picture typical for the entity described as transient left ventricular apical ballooning syndrome (Takotsubo cardiomyopathy). She presented with chest pain secondary to vasospasm after an emotional argument. Her coronary anatomy was free of significant atherosclerotic lesions, and her ventriculogram revealed apical ballooning in the shape similar to the round-bottomed Japanese pot used for trapping octopus.