Systolic Compression of a Myocardial Bridged Coronary Artery and its Morphologic Characteristics: A Combination Study of Computed Tomography Angiography and Invasive Angiography

BACKGROUND Myocardial bridging (MB) is a congenital anomaly in which a segment of a major epicardial coronary artery courses through the myocardium. This anomaly can lead to myocardial ischemia, arrhythmia, and even death. The effectiveness of coronary computed tomographic angiography (CCTA) in the detection of MB and its morphological features, and the accuracy of invasive coronary angiography (ICA) in the evaluation of systolic compression have been shown in some prior studies. OBJECTIVES The present study aimed to evaluate the correlation between the depth and the length of MB as determined using CCTA, and the degree of luminal narrowing of the involved tunneled segment as calculated using the ICA. PATIENTS AND METHODS For this study, 109 consecutive patients diagnosed with myocardial bridging using CCTA, and who had already undergone ICA, were studied. The depth and length of the MB was determined in the CCTA, while the degree of systolic compression was calculated in the ICA. The correlation between the depth and length of the MB and the systolic compression were then evaluated. RESULTS The degree of systolic compression was found to be correlated with the depth of the MB. However, there was no correlation between the length of the MB and the degree of systolic compression. CONCLUSION The systolic compression of the MB was influenced by the depth of the tunneled segment, not by its length.