Transient left ventricular apical ballooning syndrome--a case report

We present a case of a 78-year-old female who was admitted to the hospital due to clinical and electrographic features of ST-elevation acute myocardial infarction. Coronary angiography revealed normal coronary arteries and severe left ventricular contractility abnormalities, detected initially by echocardiography, which resolved within 20 days from hospital admission. Because of these findings and typical echocardiographic picture, a transient left ventricular apical ballooning syndrome (the tako-tsubo syndrome) was diagnosed.