Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 10, 2026
Operating Transverse Aortic Constriction with Absorbable Suture to Obtain Transient Myocardial Hypertrophy
Published on: September 9, 2020
Surgical treatment of myocardial bridging: report of 31 cases
1Cardiac Center, First Hospital of Tsinghua University, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100016, China. wuqingyu@mail.tsinghua.edu.cn
Insights
Surgical treatment for myocardial bridging (MB) involving myotomy or coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) offers safe and effective relief from symptoms and ischemia in patients refractory to medication.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Cardiac Surgery
Background:
- Myocardial bridging (MB) is a congenital heart anomaly where a segment of a coronary artery runs beneath the epicardial surface.
- While often benign, MB can lead to myocardial ischemia, infarction, and other serious cardiac events.
- This study reviews surgical interventions for MB.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the operative methods and outcomes for surgical treatment of myocardial bridging.
- To assess the safety and efficacy of myotomy and coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in managing MB.
Main Methods:
- A retrospective analysis of 31 patients with MB who underwent surgical treatment between 1997 and 2006.
- Surgical procedures included myotomy (15 patients) and CABG (16 patients).
- Preoperative and postoperative assessments included cardiac function grading and exercise testing.
Main Results:
- All 31 patients survived the surgery with no hospital or late deaths or major complications.
- Postoperative follow-up revealed no persistent ischemia on exercise testing.
- Angiographic studies in 68% of patients showed restored coronary blood flow and myocardial perfusion.
Conclusions:
- Surgical intervention, including myotomy and CABG, is recommended for MB patients refractory to medical management.
- Myotomy is highlighted as a safe and effective first-line surgical option for MB.
- Symptomatic improvement and functional class enhancement were observed in all patients post-surgery.
Background:
Myocardial bridging (MB) is usually considered a benign condition but may result in myocardial ischemia, myocardial infarction (MI), exercise-induced tachycardia, atrioventricular conduction block or even sudden cardiac death. This retrospective study summarizes our operative methods and outcomes for treatment of 31 cases of MB.
Methods:
From January 1997 to December 2006, 31 consecutive patients (24 men and 7 women; aged 35 - 67 years; mean 52.3 years) with MB underwent surgical treatment. Thirteen patients had MB only and 18 patients had MB associated with other heart diseases. In preoperative cardiac function grading, 5 patients were in NYHA class I and 18 in NYHA class II and 8 in NYHA class III. Among them, 15 underwent myotomy and 16 underwent coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG).
Results:
All patients survived and recovered uneventfully. Neither hospital or late death nor major complications occurred. Postoperative exercise testing in all patients failed to reveal any persistent ischemia. Follow-up time was 3 - 115 months (mean 31 months). Follow-up angiographic studies in 21 patients (68%) demonstrated restoration of coronary blood flow and myocardial perfusion without significant residual compression of the artery. All patients were symptom-free and currently in NYHA class I - II.
Conclusion:
The patients who are refractory to medication should actively undergo the surgical procedures such as myotomy and CABG. Myotomy should be advocated as the first choice because of its safety and satisfactory results.
