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Published on: September 9, 2020
Treatment strategies in myocardial bridging: a case report
Ihsan Dursun1, Muzaffer Bahcivan, Kenan Durna
1Department of Cardiology, Ondokuz Mayis University Medical School, Samsun, Turkey. ihsandursun@mynet.com
Insights
Myocardial bridging, a cause of coronary artery disease, involves muscle compressing arteries. This case highlights atypical symptoms in a bradycardic patient, impacting treatment strategies for this condition.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Pathology
Background:
- Myocardial bridging is a nonatherosclerotic cause of coronary artery disease, where heart muscle overlays and compresses a coronary artery segment during systole.
- While often benign, myocardial bridging can lead to serious cardiac events, including myocardial infarction and sudden cardiac death.
Observation:
- A 63-year-old male presented with effort-induced angina, bradycardia, and left ventricular hypertrophy.
- Coronary angiography revealed significant myocardial bridging causing complete systolic occlusion of the left anterior descending artery.
Findings:
- The patient exhibited symptoms despite bradycardia, contrasting with typical presentations during exercise and tachycardia.
- This atypical presentation underscored the clinical significance of myocardial bridging.
Implications:
- Understanding atypical presentations of myocardial bridging is crucial for accurate diagnosis and effective treatment planning.
- The case emphasizes the need to consider myocardial bridging in patients with unexplained cardiac symptoms, even with unusual physiological parameters like bradycardia.
Abstract:
Myocardial bridging is one of the nonatherosclerotic causes of coronary artery disease and is characterized by muscles overlying the intramyocardial course of a major epicardial coronary artery segment, leading to systolic compression. Myocardial bridging is considered a benign condition in most cases, but has been associated with serious cardiac events such as myocardial infarction and sudden death. We discuss the case of a 63-year-old man who was admitted to our hospital with effort-induced angina, bradycardia, and left ventricular hypertrophy on electrocardiogram. On coronary angiography, we found significant myocardial bridging with total occlusion in the left anterior descending artery during systole. In patients with myocardial bridging, symptoms often manifest during exercise and with tachycardia. But it is interesting to note that our patient was bradycardic and became symptomatic with minimal effort. Thus, we thought that these emphasized its significance and affected treatment strategy.
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