Atherosclerotic pattern of coronary myocardial bridging assessed with CT coronary angiography

Int J Cardiovasc Imaging. 2012 Feb;28(2):405-14. doi: 10.1007/s10554-011-9817-2. Epub 2011 Feb 24.

Abstract

The aim of our study was to evaluate the atherosclerotic pattern of patients with coronary myocardial bridging (MB) by means of CT Coronary Angiography (CT-CA). 254 consecutive patients (166 male, mean age 58.6 ± 10.3) who underwent 64-slice CT-CA according to current clinical indications were reviewed for the presence of MB and concomitant segmental atherosclerotic pattern. Coronary plaques were assessed in all patients enrolled. 73 patients (29%) presented single (90%) or multiple (10%) MB, frequently (93%) localized in the mid-distal left anterior descending artery. The MB segment was always free of atherosclerosis. Segments proximal to the MB presented: no atherosclerotic disease (n = 37), positive remodeling (n = 23), <50% (n = 14), or >50% stenoses (n = 7). Distal segments presented a different atherosclerosis pattern (P < 0.0001): absence of disease (n = 73), no significant lesions (n = 8). No significant differences were found between segments proximal to MB and proximal coronary segments apart from left main trunk. Pattern of atherosclerotic lesions located in segments 6 and 7 significantly differs between patients with MB and patients without MB (P < 0.05). CT-CA is a reliable method to non-invasively demonstrate MB and related atherosclerotic pattern. CT-CA provides new insight regarding atherosclerosis distribution in segments close to MB.

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Chi-Square Distribution
  • Coronary Angiography / methods*
  • Coronary Artery Disease / diagnostic imaging*
  • Coronary Stenosis / diagnostic imaging*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Italien
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Myocardial Bridging / diagnostic imaging*
  • Plaque, Atherosclerotic / diagnostic imaging*
  • Predictive Value of Tests
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Tomography, X-Ray Computed*