Thrombo‐embolic complications in takotsubo syndrome: Review and demonstration of an illustrative case

Thrombo-embolism is one of the serious complications of takotsubo syndrome (TS) in addition to heart failure, pulmonary edema, cardiogenic shock, cardiac arrest, life-threatening arrhythmias, left ventricular outlet tract obstruction, mitral regurgitation, cardiac rupture, and death. The most common cardio-embolic events in TS are cerebral, renal, and peripheral embolism. Approximately, one-third of patients with left ventricular thrombus (LVT) in TS develop embolic complications. Cardio-embolism in TS may occur with or without the presence of detectable LVT. In the present report, the thrombo-embolic complications in TS with the emphasis on the association of TS to both acute coronary syndrome (ACS) including coronary embolism and ischemic stroke including cerebral embolism are reviewed. This serious complication is elucidated by demonstration of the case of a 67-year-woman with mid-apical TS complicated by LVT, left anterior descending artery (LAD) and left middle cerebral artery (segment M2) thrombo-embolic occlusions. The cerebral artery thrombotic occlusion was treated successfully with endovascular thrombectomy with complete resolution of the neurological deficits. There was spontaneous recanalization of the apical LAD occlusion verified by cardiac computed tomography angiography.