Myocardial bridging: contemporary understanding of pathophysiology with implications for diagnostic and therapeutic strategies

Abstract

Patients with myocardial bridging are often asymptomatic, but this anomaly may be associated with exertional angina, acute coronary syndromes, cardiac arrhythmias, syncope, or even sudden cardiac death. This review presents our understanding of the pathophysiology of myocardial bridging and describes prevailing diagnostic modalities and therapeutic options for this challenging clinical entity.

Keywords: coronary wall shear stress; intracoronary Doppler velocity and pressure; intravascular imaging; myocardial bridge; myotomy; percutaneous coronary intervention.