Differential diagnosis at admission between Takotsubo cardiomyopathy and acute apical-anterior myocardial infarction in postmenopausal women.

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TTC) typically affects postmenopausal women and clinically presents with chest pain, ST-segment elevation, elevated cardiac enzymes and apical left ventricular (LV) wall motion abnormalities that mimic 'apical-anterior' acute myocardial infarction (AMI). This study assessed whether at-admission clinical evaluation helps in differential diagnosis between the two conditions. The study compared at-admission clinical, electrocardiographic (ECG) and echocardiographic findings of 31 women (median age 67 years, interquartile range (IQR) 62-76) with typical TTC and 30 women (median age 73 years, IQR 61-81) with apical-anterior AMI due to acute occlusion of the mid/distal left anterior descending coronary artery. Women with TTC significantly more often showed PR-segment depression (62% versus 3%, p<0.001), J-waves (26% versus 3%, p=0.03), maximum ST-segment elevation ⩽2 mm (84% versus 37%, p<0.001) and ST-segment elevation in lead II (42% versus 10%, p=0.01) than those with AMI. At multivariate analysis, PR-segment depression (odds ratio (OR)=37.2, 95% confidence interval (CI)=3.4-424, p=0.002) and maximum ST-segment elevation ⩽2 mm (OR=11.1, 95% CI=1.7-99.4, p=0.01) remained the only independent predictors of TTC and the co-existence of both parameters excluded AMI with a 100% specificity. The two groups did not differ with regard to age, first troponin-I value, echocardiographic LV ejection fraction and distribution of hypo/akinetic LV segments. At-admission electrocardiogram (but no clinical, laboratory and echocardiographic features) allows differential diagnosis between TTC and apical-anterior AMI in postmenopausal women. The combination of PR-segment depression and mild (⩽2 mm) ST-segment elevation predicted TTC with greater accuracy than traditional parameters such as localisation of ST-segment elevation and reciprocal ST-segment depression.

Zorzi A ，Baritussio A ，ElMaghawry M ，Siciliano M ，Migliore F ，Perazzolo Marra M ，Iliceto S ，Corrado D ... -  《-》

Comparison of on-admission ST-segment elevation tako-tsubo patients and myocardial infarction women: in-hospital course and long-term follow-up.

Pawlak M ，Roik M ，Kochanowski J ，Scisło P ，Kowalik R ，Huczek Z ，Dąbrowska K ，Opolski G ... -  《-》

Electrocardiogram mimics of acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction: insights from cardiac magnetic resonance imaging in patients with tako-tsubo (stress) cardiomyopathy.

Sharkey SW 《-》

Release patterns of copeptin and troponin in Tako-Tsubo cardiomyopathy.

Copeptin, in addition to troponin, has recently been suggested for non-invasive differentiation between Tako-Tsubo cardiomyopathy (TTC) and acute myocardial infarction (AMI). In order to test this hypothesis, we investigated release patterns of pituitary copeptin and cardiac troponin in 49 patients with TTC and 49 age-, gender-, and ECG-matched control patients with AMI. Elevated copeptin levels (i.e. >12 pmol/l) at cardiac catheterization were found in 23/49 (47%) TTC patients and 25/49 (51%) AMI patients. Of these, median copeptin levels were almost identical in both cohorts (34.1 vs. 35.4 pmol/l). Subgroup analysis according to ECG changes revealed that AMI patients with ST-segment elevation had 3.6-fold higher copeptin levels than AMI patients without ST-segment elevation (p<0.05). Furthermore, in patients with TTC and atypical (midventricular) ballooning on left ventricular angiography, copeptin levels were 5.7-fold higher than in TTC patients with a typical (apical) type of ballooning (p<0.01). Elevated troponin T levels (i.e. >0.01 μg/l) at catheterization were detectable in 47/49 (96%) TTC patients and 45/49 (92%) AMI patients; however, peak levels did not differ significantly between both cohorts (median 0.35 vs. 0.27 μg/l). Subgroup analysis according to ECG changes revealed 2-fold higher peak troponin T levels in TTC patients presenting with ST-segment elevation than non-ST-segment elevation (p<0.05). In conclusion, copeptin does not seem to significantly increase non-invasive differentiation between TTC and AMI. At present, coronary angiography, specifically in patients with ST-segment elevation at presentation remains absolutely mandatory.

Burgdorf C ，Schubert A ，Schunkert H ，Kurowski V ，Radke PW ... -  《-》

Clinical and angiographic characteristics of patients with combined anterior and inferior ST-segment elevation on the initial electrocardiogram during acute myocardial infarction.

Sadanandan S ，Hochman JS ，Kolodziej A ，Criger DA ，Ross A ，Selvester R ，Wagner GS ... -  《-》