Prevalence of myocardial bridges in the Mexican population: A morphometric and histological analysis

• Published in: Morphologie Vol. 108; no. 361; p. 100760
• Main Authors: Rojas-Granados, A., Pérez-Campos, E., Sanchez-Sanchez, M., Chávez, M.A.M., Pérez-Campos-Mayoral, L., Ángeles-Castellanos, M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: France Elsevier Masson SAS 01.06.2024
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Coronary arteries; Coronary Vessels - anatomy & histology; Dissection; Female; Heart attack; Human heart; Humans; Male; Mexico - epidemiology; Middle Aged; Myocardial Bridging - epidemiology; Myocardial Bridging - pathology; Myocardium; Myocardium - pathology; Prevalence; Young Adult; Mexico; Myocardium; Human heart; Dissection; Heart attack; Coronary arteries
• ISSN: 1286-0115
• DOI: 10.1016/j.morpho.2023.100760

•Myocardial bridges are bundles of muscle fibers that recover a variable course of a coronary artery, their finding varies depending on the study method used (image/autopsy). Its presence has been associated as a cause of angina, myocardial arrhythmias, myocardial infarction and sudden death. The presence of myocardial bridges has been described more frequently in the left anterior descending artery, since most angiographic and anatomical studies have focused on this artery due to its easy access; however, this in no way rules out the presence of bridges. myocardium in other arteries of the coronary system that could be involved, such as the artery of the sinus node or the posterior descending artery. In this study, we reported 23 branches of the coronary system with the presence of at least one myocardial bridge, so we consider it important for interventional cardiologists to know the existence of bridges in other coronary branches that could cause symptoms or complications of diagnosis or treatment. Myocardial bridge (MB) is described as an abnormal band of myocardium covering a variable portion of any coronary artery. The current study explores the presence of MB throughout the coronary arterial system and provides a morphometric description through instrumented dissection of a sample of 100 human hearts. The study shows a higher prevalence of MB in the Mexican population than in previous reports. In the total sample (n=100), MB was identified in 96% of it. A total of 421 MBs were observed, with a mean of 4.38mm (±0.28) per dissected heart. The most frequently affected vessel is the anterior interventricular artery where a total of 52 MBs were found, of the total sample studied. The high prevalence of MB among Mexican patients could be the result of a genetic association for this population or the neoformation of MB after birth due to lifestyle-associated factors. Further studies are required to better understand the high prevalence of MB among Mexican subjects.