Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy: Understanding the Pathophysiology of Selective Left Ventricular Involvement
Author Department
Internal Medicine; Medicine
Document Type
Article, Peer-reviewed
Publication Date
10-2019
Abstract
Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TCM) has gained global recognition as a unique cardiovascular disease that mimics acute myocardial infarction. Since its initial description, more than three decades ago, we have significantly advanced our understanding of diagnosing, treating, and prognosticating this reversible cardiovascular phenomenon. However, the pathophysiological explanation behind its selective involvement of the left ventricle (LV), predominantly the LV apex in poorly understood. In this brief review on differential distribution of the adrenergic nerve (AN) and cholinergic nerve (CN) in the normal human heart, we try to extrapolate an idea of poor CN distribution in the LV apex as an associated factor augmenting microcirculatory dysfunction due to an unopposed AN activity from the catecholamine surge, as a plausible explanation for this characteristic phenomenon.
Recommended Citation
Pasupula DK, Patthipati VS, Javed A, Siddappa Malleshappa SK. Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy: Understanding the Pathophysiology of Selective Left Ventricular Involvement. Cureus. 2019 Oct 23;11(10):e5972.
PMID
31803554