Assesment of Right Ventricular Function by Echocardiography in Patients with Ischemic Cardiomyopathy and Non-ischemic Cardiomyopathy

Myocardial bridging refers to a condition in which a band of myocardial tissue overlies a segment of an epicardial coronary artery. The exact prevalence of this entity is not known and varies considerably in different studies. In this study, we aimed to estimate the prevalence of myocardial bridging from consecutive coronary angiograms done over a period of last seven years at our institute and also assess the clinical and angiographic profile of these patients.A total of 3146 coronary angiograms were reviewed and 153 patients were found to be having myocardial bridging. The prevalence of myocardial bridging was 4.86%, which was highest among the previously reported Indian studies. 89 (58.16%) patients had isolated myocardial bridging without significant coronary artery involvement where as the rest 64 (41.83%) had coronary artery disease (CAD). The incidence of diabetes mellitus and family history of CAD was significantly higher in patients with myocardial bridges and CAD compared to those with myocardial bridges without significant CAD. 49 patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy underwent coronary angiogram out of which myocardial bridging was seen in 8 (16.32%) patients. Among patients with rheumatic heart disease (RHD), the incidence of myocardial bridging was 3.44%.The study showed a higher incidence of myocardial bridging then that of previous Indian studies. A significant proportion of patients presented with angina and acute coronary syndrome despite having no coronary artery disease. The incidence was higher in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy whereas it was similar to that of general population in patients with rheumatic heart disease.