Recurrent apical ballooning syndrome "The masquerading acute cardiac syndrome"

Left ventricle (LV) apical ballooning syndrome (ABS) is a recently established reversible cardiomyopathy (CM) that presents as acute coronary syndrome (ACS) with ST segment elevation and specific echocardiographic (Echo) findings in the absence of significant coronary artery disease. Synonyms of ABS include "stress-induced CM" and "Takotsubo CM", terms that describe primarily the pathophysiology and the Echo findings of the syndrome respectively. This syndrome is a rare entity, accounting for the 2.2% of the ST segment elevation ACS, while recurrence rates reach 10% four years after the initial episode [1]. Herein we describe the first case in the literature of an 83 year-old (yo), female patient who suffered two episodes of ABS, the first in 1999 when the syndrome was unknown and diagnosis was "ST segment elevation myocardial infraction (STEMI)'' and the other one eight years later in 2007.