Background .– Tako-Tsubo cardiomyopathy is a stress-induced cardiomyopathy and is characterized by transient left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction. During the hospitalization, recovery may rapidly occur with a partial increased of LV ejection fraction. The aim of this prospective study was to assess LV systolic dysfunction by echocardiography in a large population of Tako-Tsubo cardiomyopathy.

Methods .– The study population included 90 patients presenting with Tako-Tsubo cardiomyopathy (85 women, 71 ± 12 y.o.). This is a substudy of the multicentric prospective TAKO-GENE study (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01520610 ). TTC was defined according to the Mayo-Clinic criteria.

Results .– Among Tako-Tsubo cardiomyopathy, a typical pattern was observed in 73 pts, an apical-sparing variant in 16 pts and an inverted Tako-Tsubo cardiomyopathy in one patient. Mean LV ejection fraction assessed by echocardiography was 39.3 ± 11.4% and was significantly lower that LV ejection fraction calculated by LV angiography (43.1 ± 12.7%, P < 0.05) and by cardiac magnetic resonance (49.6 ± 11.8%, P < 0.0001). Assessment of LV ejection fraction was performed by echocardiography at admission, by LV angiography between day 0 and day 3 and by cardiac magnetic resonance between day 2 and day 7.

Conclusion .– Echocardiography allows a fast and immediate assessment of LV ejection fraction whereas assessment of LV systolic dysfunction may be delayed by LV angiography and cardiac magnetic resonance.