Takotsubo syndrome in the same heart before and after heart transplantation

Abstract

Heart transplantation is an effective therapy for patients with end-stage heart failure. In some cases, Takotsubo syndrome (TTS) was seen in the donor heart. We report a case of TTS in a 40-year-old woman with a history of epileptic seizures who underwent heart transplantation from a donor with TTS. The donor was brain-dead due to severe hypoxic encephalopathy during cardiac arrest with TTS. Fifteen months after heart transplantation, she was readmitted for epileptic seizures. Electrocardiogram showed T-wave inversion, and transthoracic echocardiography showed apical ballooning. Coronary angiography was normal, and endomyocardial biopsy was negative for rejection. Iodine-123 metaiodobenzylguanidine imaging demonstrated a low heart-to-mediastinum ratio and high washout rate. Eighteen days after admission, recovery of left ventricular dysfunction was confirmed, and she was diagnosed with TTS triggered by epileptic seizures. It is important to recognize the risk of recurrent TTS in heart transplantation patients from a donor with TTS.