Takotsubo syndrome (Stress Cardiomyopathy): An intriguing clinical condition in search of its identity

akotsubo syndrome is a relatively frequent clinical entity presenting typically as an acute coronary syndrome in the absence of obstructive coronary artery disease and characterized angiographically by transient left ventricular systolic dysfunction, sparing the basal segments of the left ventricle (“apical ballooning”). Takotsubo syndrome characteristically affects peri- or postmenopausal women, albeit recent series show that men also are at risk. Takotsubo syndrome is characteristically triggered by severe emotional or physical stress, which suggests a pathogenic role for increased sympathetic activity leading to myocardial