TY - JOUR AU - Stylianos Mavridis AU - Hans-Georg Gnauk AU - Silvio Horn AU - Peter Adeberg AU - Martina Schumacher AU - Roland H. Wagner PY - 2015/03/23 Y2 - 2024/03/28 TI - Can a pneumothorax break your heart? JF - Medical Journal of Indonesia JA - Med J Indones VL - 24 IS - 1 SE - Case Report/Series DO - 10.13181/mji.v24i1.1179 UR - http://mji.ui.ac.id/journal/index.php/mji/article/view/1179 AB - Takotsubo cardiomyopathy or apical ballooning is a condition characterized by transitory left ventricular dysfunction, affecting commonly postmenopausal females after foregoing acute emotional or physical stress. We report a case of a 63 year old female presenting with severe dyspnea and right-sided secondary spontaneous pneumothorax, initially treated with tube thoracostomy. Despite the fact that pneumothorax resolved, shortness of breath persisted and due to ST-segment elevation and increased Troponin I levels, she was admitted to cardiac catheterization. A significant coronary stenosis was ruled out and the diagnosis of a Takotsubo cardiomyopathy was established. Electrocardiographic findings were normalized within three days and attributable to prolonged air leakage. A thoracoscopic apex resection followed by a partial parietal pleurectomy was performed. Although Takotsubo cardiomyopathy is a rare syndrome, it should always be considered as a potential cardiac complication of a pneumothorax. ER -