V1-V2-V3-V4 T wave inversion: left or right ventricle?

BMJ Case Rep. 2013 Oct 9:2013:bcr2013200331. doi: 10.1136/bcr-2013-200331.

Abstract

An 84-year-old woman, affected by Alzheimer's disease, presented to the emergency department with intense dyspnoea. Since ECG was showing T wave inversion in anterior leads and troponin-T was high, the patient was admitted to our unit with a diagnosis of anterior non-ST elevation myocardial infarction. However, the patient's medical history and a further review of the ECG led us to suspect a pulmonary embolism (PE) as a possible differential clinical diagnosis. We tested this alternative hypothesis: echocardiography as well as contrast-enhanced CT scan confirmed the diagnosis of PE. We describe these misleading ECG findings together with a brief discussion of electrocardiographical changes in pulmonary embolism.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Diagnosis, Differential
  • Diagnostic Errors*
  • Electrocardiography / methods*
  • Female
  • Heart Ventricles / physiopathology*
  • Humans
  • Myocardial Infarction / diagnosis
  • Pulmonary Embolism / diagnosis*
  • Pulmonary Embolism / physiopathology
  • Tomography, X-Ray Computed