Atypical form of left ventricular ballooning after a violent attack.

The syndrome of "apical ballooning" is characterized by an acute onset of transient akinesia of the apical portion of the left ventricle accompanied by electrocardiographic changes and minimal myocardial enzymatic release mimicking acute myocardial infarction without significant stenosis on the coronary angiogram. Emotional or physical stress might trigger this reversible form of cardiomyopathy. We describe a case of a 70-year old woman presenting with an atypical form of ventricular ballooning after a violent attack.