Key result
Routine brain MRI triggers Takotsubo cardiomyopathy secondary to procedure-related anxiety.
Why the study?
Takotsubo cardiomyopathy can be triggered by emotional and physical stressors, but MRI-induced fear and anxiety as a trigger had not been previously reported.
Case Report (n=1)
This case report highlights that the emotional stress and anxiety associated with a routine MRI scan can serve as a rare physical and emotional trigger for Takotsubo cardiomyopathy.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
MRI anxiety may trigger Takotsubo cardiomyopathy; extends recognized emotional precipitants but remains hypothesis-generating from a single case.
Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TC), or 'broken heart syndrome,' is marked by transient left ventricular dysfunction in the absence of acute, severe coronary artery disease that explains the pattern and degree of LV dysfunction. Both emotional and physical stressors have been associated with TC. We present a case of TC that was precipitated by a routine magnetic imaging resonance scan, highlighting a rare and previously unreported trigger for TC.
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Qavi et al. (2025) conducted a case report in Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (n=1). Fear and anxiety induced by MRI scan was evaluated. Fear and anxiety induced by a routine magnetic resonance imaging scan triggered Takotsubo cardiomyopathy in a 76-year-old woman.
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