Apical ballooning resulting from limbic encephalitis.

BACKGROUND

Neurogenic stunned myocardium is an increasingly recognized cause of left ventricular apical ballooning, or takotsubo cardiomyopathy. We report the first case of neurogenic stunned myocardium as a result of limbic encephalitis.

METHODS

This 73-year-old woman with anterograde and retrograde amnesia was investigated using electrocardiography, magnetic resonance imaging, and left ventricular angiography.

RESULTS

Electrocardiography showed deep T-wave inversions in multiple leads, magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated increased signal on fluid-attenuated inversion recovery images symmetrically within the medial temporal lobes consistent with limbic encephalitis. Left ventricular angiography showed apical ballooning.

CONCLUSIONS

Because the insula has extensive interconnections with limbic structures, limbic encephalitis could lead to alterations in the sympathetic regulation of the insular cortex resulting in neurogenic stunned myocardium.