A Case of Pheochromocytoma That Presented as Inverted Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy

A 52-year-old female was admitted to the hospital with abdominal pain. Her electrocardiogram revealed ST depressions in leads II, III, aVF and V2-5. The echocardiography showed transient cardiomyopathy with akinesia of the basal and mid portions of the left ventricle and hyperkinesia of the apex. There was no evidence of any vascular lesion on the emergency coronary angiography. She was diagnosed with pheochromocytoma by abdominal computed tomography and the post-operative pathologic examinations. These findings led us to a diagnosis of inverted Takotsubo cardiomyopathy related with pheochromocytoma. The recognition of such a rare cardiac manifestation should be considered in the diagnosis of pheochromocytoma, and especially in the circumstances of acute heart failure. (J Korean Endocr Soc 24:47~53, 2009)