Proposed Mayo Clinic criteria for the diagnosis of Tako-Tsubo cardiomyopathy and long-term prognosis

Tako-Tsubo cardiomyopathy (TTC) is a reversible cardiomyopathy with a clinical presentation indistinguishable from myocardial infarction. TTC is estimated to represent 1%-2% of patients presenting with acute myocardial infarction. It most commonly occurs in postmenopausal women and is frequently precipitated by a stressful event. Chest pain and dyspnea are the typical presenting symptoms. Transient ST-segment elevation on ECG and a small rise in cardiac biomarkers are common. Characteristic wall motion abnormalities extend beyond the territory of a single epicardial coronary artery in the absence of obstructive coronary lesions. Supportive treatment leads to spontaneous rapid recovery in nearly all patients. The prognosis is excellent, and recurrence occurs in < 10% of patients. In this article, we review the clinical features of TTC that form the basis of the Mayo Clinic diagnostic criteria, as well as the long-term prognosis for this type of cardiomyopathy.