Nearly asymptomatic left ventricular apical ballooning after a hit-and-run accident

Tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy is a syndrome that mimics acute myocardial infarction consisting of typical chest pain with acute onset and transient left ventricular wall-motion abnormalities. We present a case of a 53-year-old woman with nearly asymptomatic apical ballooning after a hit-and-run car accident. No blunt force impact occurred over the precordial area. Typical chest pain or dyspnea was not present at any time. Electrocardiogram showed ST-segment elevation and T-wave inversion. Cardiac catheterization revealed the absence of coronary stenosis. Whereas left ventriculography and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging showed apical akinesia and hypercontractility of the basal segments (apical ballooning). Left ventricular systolic function recovered from ejection fraction 34% to 55% in ten days and echocardiographic wall abnormalities returned to normal.