After acute-anterior myocardial infarction (AMI), left ventricular (LV) viable myocardial segments show some degree of active deformation (longitudinal shortening) despite wall motion abnormalities (WMA). Tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy (TTC) is characterized by myocardial stunning; however, it is unclear whether in TTC the strain pattern mimics AMI.

To compare the strain-pattern in TTC and AMI using the 2D-longitudinal strain by speckle-tracking in segments with WMA, and its relationship with recovery of function at follow-up.

Twenty-one consecutive patients with typical TTC and 21 age-matched AMI patients treated by primary angioplasty had an analysis of LV-longitudinal strain at the acute-phase and at follow-up (1 and 6months later for TTC and AMI respectively). The recovery of a segment was defined as normal wall motion at follow-up.

Among the 706 analyzable LV-segments at the acute-phase, 406 had WMA (TTC 229, AMI 177). At follow-up, total recovery was observed for 45% segments in AMI and 100% in TTC, (P<0.01). At the acute phase, systolic lengthening duration (47±43% vs. 18±33%) and amplitude (0.25±0.29 vs. 0.09±0.19) and post-systolic shortening (67±53% vs. 39±38%) were higher in TTC, when compared to AMI-recovery (all, P<0.01). In AMI, systolic lengthening duration was an independent predictor of poor recovery in multivariate analysis, linked to segmental longitudinal strain at follow-up (all, P≤0.01). Furthermore, among the 57% of segments exhibiting any systolic lengthening duration in AMI, only ¼ recovered, versus 62% of such segments in TTC with 100% recovery (P<0.001).

The systolic passive motion, which is closely and inversely linked to recovery in AMI is paradoxically frequent and severe in TTC. This suggests that myocardial stunning in TTC and AMI is different according to longitudinal strain.