Inverted takotsubo cardiomyopathy induced by dobutamine stress echocardiography with atypical presentation

A 48-year-old woman was scheduled by our lab to perform a standard dobutamine/atropine stress echocardiogram. During the test, the patient referred to a slight chest discomfort and developed a progressive left ventricle akinesia of all midbasal LV segments, thus mimicking a midbasal ballooning. ECG persisted without significant abnormalities and with no raise of Troponin I. Coronary angiography showed normal coronary arteries and ventriculography a severe EF reduction and apical hypercontractility. Echocardiography showed a progressive improvement with a complete recovery 48 hours later. This is a rare case of inverted takotsubo syndrome induced by dobutamine stress echocardiography that occurred with atypical presentation.