RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Severe subarachnoid hemorrhage may be associated with regional wall motion abnormalities (RWMA) in the absence of epicardial coronary occlusion. The RWMA extends beyond the distribution of a single coronary artery and may present in a typical tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy pattern. Other variants have also been recognized, including an inverted tako-tsubo pattern of severe basal hypokinesis that spares the apex. The mechanism of this cardiomyopathy is not well understood but likely involves catecholamine excess. While classic tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy from emotional stress carries a favorable prognosis, cardiac dysfunction from subarachnoid hemorrhage is a marker of overall poor prognosis. METHODS: We collected cases over a period of 4 years at a large teaching hospital. The cases represent cardiac dysfunction in the setting of subarachnoid hemorrhage in the unusual distribution of basal hypokinesis with relative sparing of the apex (inverted tako-tsubo pattern). RESULTS: A total of four cases were identified. All cases were female between the ages 43-67 years and had echocardiographic evidence of basal hypokinesis after suffering from an intracranial hemorrhage. CONCLUSIONS: The typical and inverted patterns may represent a spectrum within the same disease process or distinct clinical entities with dramatically different prognostic implications. Larger studies comparing the two presentations will help elucidate this further.