Active clinical trials for "Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy"

Takotsubo syndrome (TTS) is characterized by severe left ventricular (LV) dysfunction that gradually recovers, thus leading to the commonly accepted belief that it is a transient and self-limiting condition. Histologically, TTS can be accompanied by severe morphological alterations potentially resulting from catecholamine excess followed by microcirculatory dysfunction and direct cardiotoxicity. The affected myocardium, however, has a high potential of structural reconstitution which correlates with the rapid functional recovery. The lack of persistent morphological changes in TTS has been confirmed by original CMR studies which pointed out that the acute phase of the disease is characterized only by remarkable myocardial edema with no evidence of significant late gadolinium enhancement. Indeed, the absence of LGE in TTS patients has become a common diagnostic criterion in most CMR centers. Although some studies have challenged this notion by reporting delayed hyper-enhancement in TTS patients, the intensity and extent of LGE in the acute phase of TTS are less than usually reported in studies of myocardial infarction. The long-term clinical and functional consequences of an acute episode of TTS are still unclear. A recent spectroscopic investigation has shown that long-term (>1 year) abnormalities in cardiac energetic persist after an acute episode of TTS. Also, a few patients with residual wall motion abnormality in whom LGE fails to resolve (suggesting the acute event resulted in frank infarction) have been reported. However, how often persistent morphologic abnormalities are present after the index episode remains undefined. The possibility exists that fibrosis was undetected at follow-up CMR studies using conventional LGE threshold methods due to the fact that myocardial injury is subtler and there are no confidently recognizable reference regions of normal myocardium. Newer echocardiographic tools (i.e. tissue Doppler) have now the potential to detect persistence of post-TTS LV function abnormalities.

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TC) is a type of non-ischemic cardiomyopathy in which there is a sudden temporary weakening of the myocardium. . In a recent study, women report more sexual dysfunction than men after 1 year after TC. Despite that a number of studies have assessed female sexual dysfunction (FSD) for TC , there is no information regarding prevalence and associated factors on FSD in women with TC. However, in a recent study on Iranian female patients with TC, more than 77% of these patients suffered from FSD. This study is aimed to assess the effectiveness of a Mindfulness-based Sex Therapy on Patients With TC.

Stress (Takotsubo) cardiomyopathy (SC) is a peculiar form of acute, reversible myocardial dysfunction predominantly affecting the apical and mid left ventricular segments. In this institution over the last two to three years the investigators have identified more than a dozen patients with stress cardiomyopathy. The investigators' overarching goal is to characterize these individuals with the hope of identifying risk factors and developing strategies to prevent the occurrence of SC in situations where the likelihood in susceptible individuals may be high.

Aim of this prospective study is to assess the pathophysiology of Takotsubo Syndrome by obtaining pressure volume loops with conductance catheters, which allows detailed conclusions regarding systolic and diastolic hemondynamics and subsequently regarding potential underlying mechanisms

The Tako-Tsubo Cardiomyopathy (TTC) and the Cardiac Syndrome X (CSX) are respectively acute and chronic heart diseases, which mimic myocardial infarction and stable angina pectoris without alterations of large coronary vessels. The causes and the most appropriate and best treatment for these diseases have not been yet clarified, but there are indications, that mental and psychosocial aspects may also contribute to these two diseases. So far, there is no study, which has comprehensively evaluated the interactions between mind and heart in these two conditions. The purpose of this study is to search for possible differences in mental activity, response to stressful events and function of specific areas of the brain deeply involved in relation between mind and heart. 45 subjects will be recruited and divided equally into: patients with CSX, patients with TTC (at least 6 months ago) and patients with previous acute myocardial infarction (at least 6 months ago). All participants will undergo a clinical interview and several questionnaires that assess various mental functions, the stress response and the quality of life. In addition, in a separate visit the participants will undergo a Magnetic Resonance Imaging without contrast medium that helps to assess function of specific areas of the brain.

Tako Tsubo Cardiomyopathy (TTC), also known as "Broken Heart Syndrome", is a disorder of the heart that occurs most commonly in women (although it occasionally occurs in men) and is usually related to a stressful event. Symptoms are often similar to a heart attack, and include chest pain and shortness of breath. Although Tako Tsubo Cardiomyopathy is not a new medical condition, it has not been widely recognised until the last decade. Currently the investigators don't have an exact understanding of how or why the heart is affected in this way, and so the investigators are conducting a study to help understand what causes Tako Tsubo Cardiomyopathy.

Our hypothesis is that altered cardiac sympathetic activity is present and may contribute to the myocardial stunning observed in the apical ballooning syndrome. Aim: Assess the extent and reversibility of cardiac adrenergic neuronal dysfunction using carbon-11 hydroxyephedrine (C-11 HED), a positron emission tomography (PET) tracer, in patients with the apical ballooning syndrome.

Acute stress induced (Tako-tsubo) cardiomyopathy (TTC) or broken heart syndrome, a condition typically occurring after acute stress has a death rate similar to heart attacks and is frequently associated with long-term symptoms (fatigue and exercise limitation). There are no effective therapies. The investigators have recently showed that there is a profound shortage of energy in the hearts of Tako Tsubo Cardiomyopathy patients in the days after acute presentation with only partial recovery by four months. The investigators would now like to establish whether this recovers after at least one year, or persists, and also to investigate the mechanisms responsible for exercise limitation after recovery from the acute phase.

The primary objective of this prospective, observational study is to compare muscle sympathetic nerve activity at rest and during stress between female patients with Takotsubo syndrome and healthy, matched volunteers. Do Takotsubo patients have an increased sympathetic nerve activity compared to controls? Do Takotsubo patients have an exaggerated sympathetic nerve activity response to stress? Does the sympathetic nerve activity response to stress in Takotsubo change after receiving the beta blocking agent metoprolol? Participants will be examined with muscle sympathetic nerve activity recording in the peroneal nerve at rest and during cold pressor test. After intravenous injection with beta blocking agent (metoprolol) or placebo (saline) in a 1:1 randomized fashion, muscle sympathetic nerve recording at rest and during stress will be repeated.

Tako-Tsubo Cardiomyopathy (TTC) and Cardiac Syndrome X (CSX) are respectively acute and chronic cardiac conditions whose clinical presentation, mimicking the onset of acute myocardial ischemia in absence of epicardial coronary disease, has progressively gained the interest of the scientific community. However, despite significant progress, their underlying pathophysiology, which seems to evoke some similarities, still remains elusive. Endothelial dysfunction and autonomic imbalance have both been individually implied in their puzzling pathogenesis. The investigators plan to conduct our study in a cohort of TTC patients, CSX patients and healthy volunteers with the following primary objective: to assess the response of endothelial function (through the Endopat score) to the autonomic tone activation induced by a 10-minute stress mental test. The assessment of autonomic tone during activation through the evaluation of Spontaneous BaRoreflex Sensitivity (BRS) and its correlation with endothelial function (Endopat score) will represent secondary objectives. Our study will enroll 15 patients with TTC at least six months after the event, 15 patients with classic CSX and 15 healthy volunteers who will serve as control.