Takotsubo syndrome or acute myocarditis? The role of cardiac magnetic resonance imaging

Acute myocarditis is often misdiagnosed, and its evolution is not always benign; correct and prompt diagnosis is therefore essential. We report the case of a 62-year-old woman with chest pain after a stressful event and ST-segment elevation on the electrocardiogram, in whom urgent cardiac catheterization showed normal coronary arteries and left ventricular apical ballooning, suggesting takotsubo syndrome. However, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging showed lesions typical of acute myocarditis, thus suggesting this diagnosis. We highlight the diagnostic difficulty in patients with chest pain, elevated troponin and normal coronary arteries, and the key role of cardiac magnetic resonance in differential diagnosis.