Baylor University Medical Center Proceedings April 2014, Volume 27, Number 2 | Page 46

Stress-induced (takotsubo) cardiomyopathy following thoracic epidural steroid injection for postherpetic neuralgia Nicholas P. McKernan, MD, Bryan J. Rondeau, MD, and Russell K. McAllister, MD We present what may be the first documented case of takotsubo cardiomyopathy following a thoracic epidural steroid injection. The 77-year-old patient had many risk factors predisposing her to takotsubo cardiomyopathy, including gender, postmenopausal status, and numerous recent stressful events in her life. Although she presented to the emergency department with symptoms of an acute myocardial infarction, her findings on electrocardiography, echocardiography, coronary angiography, and cardiac enzymes supported the diagnosis of takotsubo cardiomyopathy. While takotsubo cardiomyopathy is rare, it is important for the clinician to distinguish it from an acute myocardial infarction, as the two conditions present similarly but may have distinctly different clinical outcomes. akotsubo cardiomyopathy (TC), also known as stress-induced cardiomyopathy, is a transient systolic dysfunction of the left ventricle typically triggered by an acute illness or intense emotional or physical stress (1). Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) is pain persisting in a herpes zoster–affected area >6 months after healing of the zoster eruptions (2). We present a patient with significant psychosocial stressors who underwent a thoracic epidural steroid injection for treatment of PHN and then developed TC. T CASE REPORT A 77-year-old woman with PHN returned to our anesthesia pain clinic for a repeat thoracic epidural steroid injection. Prior treatment with epidural steroid injections, propoxyphene, and gabapentin had adequately managed her pain. Previously, she had herpes zoster, multiple myeloma, stage III chronic kidney disease, anemia, hypertension, hypothyroidism, a deep venous thrombosis, and degenerative disk disease. A brother had recently died, and her husband had recently been admitted to a nursing home for his declining health. After reexamination, a T4-5 epidural steroid injection under fluoroscopic guidance was planned. No sedation was administered. The patient was positioned prone on the fluoroscopy table, and the overlying tissue was anesthetized with 1% lidocaine. A 17-gauge Tuohy needle was inserted via a left paramedian approach under fluoroscopic guidance, and the loss of resistance technique was used to identify the epidural space on the first pass. After negative aspiration of blood or cerebrospinal fluid, a solution containing 80 mg of triamcinolone and 4 mL of 0.125% bupivacaine was injected. 120 The patient remained stable throughout the procedure. At discharge, she had no new neurological deficits or complaints. She attended an unrelated appointment and then returned home to take a nap. Soon after, she developed a headache and progressively worsening chest pain. She was taken to the emergency department (ED), where she reported substernal chest pain radiating into her left neck, dyspnea, nausea, and an episode of vomiting. While in the ED, she received nitroglycerin, fentanyl, heparin, and aspirin. An electrocardiogram showed mild ST-segment elevation with Q waves in the precordial leads and widening of the QRS complex. Her troponin was 0.09 ng/mL on arrival to the ED and 1.84 ng/mL 4 hours later. A transthoracic echocardiogram demonstrated depression of the apex of the left ventricle with apical ballooning, preserved wall motion of the basal segments, and an estimated ejection fraction of 30%. Cardiac catheterization revealed only mild narrowing of the left main coronary artery. Her troponin level peaked at 2.7 ng/mL. A repeat echocardiogram on hospital day 3 showed improvement of her ventricular function, and her troponin level had dropped to 1.0 ng/mL. She was discharged home on hospital day 4. A repeat echocardiogram 20 days later showed no regional wall motion abnormalities and an estimated ejection fraction of 55%. DISCUSSION While there is an abundance of literature regarding the treatment of PHN, we know of no previously reported cases of TC following an epidural steroid injection. TC derives its name from the echocardiographic appearance of the heart, which resembles a “takotsubo,” the Japanese word for an octopus trap. The typical appearance is characterized by mid and apical segmental depression of the left ventricle with compensatory basal wall hyperkinesis that results in ballooning of the left ventricular apex during systole (3). The condition is typically triggered by severe stress (e.g., severe illness, a catastrophic event, death in the family) and From Baylor Scott & White Health and Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine, Temple, Texas. Corresponding author: Russell K. McAllister, MD, Department of Anesthesiology, Baylor Scott & White Health, 2401 South 31st Street, Temple, TX 76508 (e-mail: [email protected]). Proc (Bayl Univ Med Cent) 2014;27(2):120–121