FREQUENCY AND ASSOCIATION OF MYOCARDIAL BRIDGING WITH ATHEROSCLEROTIC CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE IN PATIENTS UNDERGOING CORONARY ANGIOGRAPHY

Objective: To evaluate frequency and association of myocardial bridging with atherosclerotic coronary artery disease in patients undergoing coronary angiography. Study Design: Cross sectional analytical study. Place and Duration of Study: Department of cardiology, PIMS Islamabad, from Feb to Aug 2014. Material and Methods: A total of 320 patients were selected for the study. Patients undergoing coronary angiography to determine the frequency of myocardial bridging and its relationship to atherosclerotic coronary artery disease. The angiography was done according to standard protocol. Myocardial bridges were seen by expert interventional cardiologist and degree of coronary artery narrowing proximal and distal to bridging was noted. Results: The mean age of the patients was 60.35 ± 9.18 years and there were 205 (64.1%) male patients in the study. In the study 50 (15.6%) patients were diagnosed with myocardial bridging and in all these patients mid left anterior descending artery segment was found to be involved in myocardial bridging. Only 23 (7.19%) patients had atherosclerotic CAD and 21 (6.56%) patients had proximal and 2 (0.63%) patients had segment distal involved in atherosclerotic CAD. Out of 50 patients with myocardial bridging 23 (46%) patients had significant atherosclerotic CAD (p<0.001). In almost all cases, atherosclerotic CAD was observed proximal to bridge segment (91.3%). Conclusions: There was significant association between myocardial bridging and atherosclerotic coronary artery disease proximal to bridge segment and it might be an independent risk factor for atherosclerosis proximal to bridge segment.