Reverse Takotsubo syndrome pattern induced by local anaesthesia

Abstract

We report a new entity of the Takotsubo syndrome. While the classic form of Takotsubo syndrome presents as transient apical ballooning, in reverse Takotsubo syndrome we see just the opposite, i.e. transient dilatation of the basal segments and a hyperkinetic apex. The reverse Takotsubo phenomenon was seen in a 36-year-old female patient who had an injection of lidocaine with adrenaline for plastic surgery of the ear. Coronary artery disease was excluded as the cause of this patient's prolonged chest pain and troponin positivity. Echocardiography revealed akinesis of the basal segments and a hyperkinetic apex. The wall motion abnormalities resolved in three days.