PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Oluwatosin Kayode
AU  - Paul Underwood
AU  - Ravi Dissanayake
AU  - David Scott-Coombes
AU  - Subramaniam Nagasayi
TI  - Phaeochromocytoma presenting as Takotsubo cardiomyopathy
AID  - 10.7861/clinmed.2019-0494
DP  - 2020 Mar 01
TA  - Clinical Medicine
PG  - 212--214
VI  - 20
IP  - 2
4099  - http://www.rcpjournals.org/content/20/2/212.short
4100  - http://www.rcpjournals.org/content/20/2/212.full
SO  - Clin Med2020 Mar 01; 20
AB  - We report a case of a 72-year-old woman who presented with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). However, coronary angiography showed unobstructed arteries while echocardiography (ECHO) showed severe left ventricular (LV) apical hypokinesia with ejection fraction (EF) of 25–30%. Seven months later she presented with a transient ischaemic attack and a repeat ECHO showed a normal EF.A few months later, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and as part of staging procedure, an incidental left adrenal mass was identified. This was biochemically confirmed as phaeochromocytoma (PY) and she underwent laparoscopic adrenalectomy.PY is a rare catecholamine secreting tumour arising from adrenomedullary chromaffin cells. Excessive catecholamine-induced stimulation can present as transient, reversible cardiomyopathy similar to Takotsubo cardiomyopathy and cerebrovascular events. The diagnosis of PY is often delayed but it is important to recognize PY as a cause of reversible cardiomyopathy. Early intervention is essential to improve mortality from cardiovascular and cerebrovascular complications.