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Myocardial bridging, a heart condition, is more common than previously thought. A review of coronary arteriograms found it in 7.5% of cases, primarily in the left anterior descending artery.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Radiology
Background:
- Myocardial bridging is often found during autopsies but is infrequently reported in coronary arteriograms.
- Previous studies reported a prevalence of 0.5% to 1.6% for myocardial bridging in coronary arteriograms.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the prevalence of angiographically-demonstrable myocardial bridging.
- To assess the frequency of myocardial bridging in the left anterior descending coronary artery.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of 465 consecutive coronary arteriograms.
- Detailed analysis of arteriograms to identify myocardial bridging.
- Comparison of findings with initial catheterization reports.
Main Results:
- Myocardial bridging was identified in 35 out of 465 arteriograms (7.5%).
- Bridging was exclusively located in the left anterior descending coronary artery.
- The prevalence of bridging in the left anterior descending artery was 9.7% when adequately visualized.
- Only 1.7% of cases were noted in initial reports, contrasting with the higher prevalence found upon careful review.
Conclusions:
- The actual prevalence of myocardial bridging detected via coronary arteriography is significantly higher than previously reported.
- Increased recognition and careful review of arteriograms are crucial for accurately assessing myocardial bridging.
- Myocardial bridging predominantly affects the left anterior descending coronary artery.
Abstract:
Although frequently noted in necropsy series, myocardial bridging has been detected in only 0.5 to 1.6 percent of coronary arteriograms. In this study, the prevalence of angiographically-demonstrable myocardial bridging was determined by a retrospective review of 465 consecutive coronary arteriograms. Bridging was present in 35 arteriograms (7.5 percent) in this series and was located exclusively in the left anterior descending coronary artery. The prevalence of bridging involving this vessel was 9.7 percent in the arteriograms in which the anterior descending artery was adequately visualized. Only 8 of the 35 cases with myocardial bridging had been noted on the initial catheterization reports, a prevalence of 1.7 percent which is similar to that previously reported. The higher frequency of bridging reported here is felt to reflect an increased recognition of this phenomenon detected by a careful review of the arteriograms with the specific purpose of assessing the prevalence of myocardial bridging.