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Left circumflex coronary artery bridging
Ertan Okmen1, Enis Oguz, Izzet Erdinler
1Department of Cardiology, Siyami Ersek Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery Center, Istanbul, Turkey.
Insights
Myocardial bridging, a rare condition where a heart artery segment dips within heart muscle, can cause chest pain. This case highlights an unusual left circumflex artery bridge presenting with exercise-induced angina, successfully managed with medication.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Cardiac Surgery
- Vascular Biology
Background:
- Myocardial bridging (MB) is a congenital anomaly where a segment of a coronary artery tunnels through the myocardium.
- It most commonly affects the left anterior descending artery, potentially leading to myocardial ischemia.
- Right coronary artery bridges are infrequent, making left circumflex artery bridges exceptionally rare.
Observation:
- A patient presented with symptoms of exercise-induced angina pectoris.
- Diagnostic evaluation revealed an unusual myocardial bridge affecting the left circumflex coronary artery.
Findings:
- The identified left circumflex coronary artery bridge was the source of the patient's ischemic symptoms.
- Medical therapy effectively alleviated the exercise-induced angina pectoris.
Implications:
- This case expands the understanding of myocardial bridging locations and clinical presentations.
- It underscores the importance of considering rare coronary anomalies in patients with unexplained angina.
- Successful medical management of symptomatic left circumflex artery myocardial bridging offers a therapeutic option.
Abstract:
Myocardial bridging most frequently occurs on the left anterior descending coronary artery and may cause ischemia and related complications. Right coronary artery myocardial bridges (MB) are rare. We report a patient with an unusual coronary bridge, a left circumflex coronary artery bridge, who presented with exercise-induced angina pectoris that was relieved with medical therapy.