Myocardial bridging (MB) is a congenital condition where a segment of a major epicardial coronary artery runs intramurally (tunnelled artery) through the myocardium. [1]. It has been reported in autopsy studies with an incidence rate of 5.4–85.7% [2], while the prevalence varies substantially among studies with much higher rate at autopsy versus angiography (5–12%) [3,4]. The most frequent place of occurrence is the proximal half of the anterior descending branch of the left coronary artery (60%), while the other branches are overbridged less often. The muscular bridges of the branches of the right coronary artery are rarer and more variable in their form of location (2.8–11.4%) [2]. While the course is generally benign, myocardial ischemia, infarction, ventricular arrhythmia and sudden death have been reported, frequently associated with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and coronary atherosclerosis [3]. We present a case of sudden death of a young man having a right coronary artery myocardial bridging as the only identifiable cause of death. The pathogenesis of the fatal event is discussed with reference to the histological findings.

Myocardial bridging of the right coronary artery and emotional stress: a fatal link?

RIEZZO, IRENE;POMARA, CRISTOFORO;FINESCHI, VITTORIO
2007-01-01

Abstract

Myocardial bridging (MB) is a congenital condition where a segment of a major epicardial coronary artery runs intramurally (tunnelled artery) through the myocardium. [1]. It has been reported in autopsy studies with an incidence rate of 5.4–85.7% [2], while the prevalence varies substantially among studies with much higher rate at autopsy versus angiography (5–12%) [3,4]. The most frequent place of occurrence is the proximal half of the anterior descending branch of the left coronary artery (60%), while the other branches are overbridged less often. The muscular bridges of the branches of the right coronary artery are rarer and more variable in their form of location (2.8–11.4%) [2]. While the course is generally benign, myocardial ischemia, infarction, ventricular arrhythmia and sudden death have been reported, frequently associated with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and coronary atherosclerosis [3]. We present a case of sudden death of a young man having a right coronary artery myocardial bridging as the only identifiable cause of death. The pathogenesis of the fatal event is discussed with reference to the histological findings.
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11369/17603
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