TakoTsubo cardiomyopathy: unravelling the malignant consequences of a benign disease with cardiac magnetic resonance

Abstract TakoTsubo cardiomyopathy (TCM) is a unique type of reversible cardiomyopathy that is precipitated by a stressful emotional or physical event. The increasing inci-dence is due to the greater use of emergency coronary angiography, newer cardiac biomarkers together with more sensitive cardiac imaging techniques. Few case reports have documented how TCM can present with malignant arrhythmias such as torsades de pointes caused by the re-polarisation abnormalities or QTc prolongation. Although TCM is usually considered a benign reversible condition, its associated arrhythmic risk is increasingly recognised. TCM often presents as an acute coronary syndrome with unobstructed coronary arteries at angiography. In this patient population, cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) is a useful tool to establish a differential diagnosis, dis-criminating TCM from acute myocarditis and myocardial infarction with spontaneous recanalisation. CMR is be-coming a promising new diagnostic modality in risk stratifying patients with potential higher arrhythmic risk