Abstract
During the last century, many investigators reported on myocardial bridges in the adult human heart. In the present study, 39 human fetal hearts (the mean gestastional age was 30 weeks) were studied for myocardial bridging, and the results were correlated with adult data. Among the 39 (27 male and 12 female) fetal hearts studied, 26 bridges were observed on 18 fetal hearts (46.2%). Ten of the bridges had one myocardial bridge, whereas double myocardial bridges were observed in eight fetal hearts. The most frequent myocardial bridges were observed on the left anterior descending artery (LAD), which had 13 bridges (50%). Eight (30.7%) myocardial bridges were on the diagonal artery, and on the posterior descending artery there were five (19.3%). Myocardial bridges were not observed on the circumflex artery. The data presented in this study may provide potentially useful information for the preoperative evaluation of the newborn and may have a clinical implication for sudden fetal death.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alegria JR, Herrmann J, Holmes DR Jr et al (2005) Myocardial bridging. Eur Heart J 26:1159–1168
Angelini P, Trivellato M, Donis J, Leachman RD (1983) Myocardial bridges: a review. Prog Cardiovasc Dis 26:75–88
Bezerra AJC, Prates JC, Didio LJA (1987) Incidence and clinical significance of bridges of myocardium over the coronary arteries and their branches. Surg Radiol Anat 9:273–280
Bourassa MG, Butnaru A, Lesperance J et al (2003) Symptomatic myocardial bridges: overview of ishemic mechanisms and current diagnostic and treatment strategies. J Am Coll Cardiol 41:351–359
Edwards JC, Burnsides G, Swarm RL et al (1956) Arteriosclerosis in the intramural and extramural portions of coronary in the human heart. Circulation 13:235–241
Ferreira AG, Trotter SE, Koning B (1991) Myocardial bridges: morphological and functional aspects. Br Heart J 66:364–367
Ge J, Erbel R, Rupprecht HJ et al (1994) Comparison of intravascular ultrasound and angiography in the assessment of myocardial bridging. Circulation 89:1725–1732
Ge J, Erbel R, Görge G et al (1995) High wall shear stress proximal to myocardial bridging and atherosclerosis: intracoronary ultrasound and pressure measurements. Br Heart J 73:462–465
Ge J, Jeremias A, Rupp A et al (1999) New signs characteristic of myocardial bridging demonstrated by intracoronary ultrasound and Doppler. Eur Heart J 20:1707–1716
Geiringer E (1951) The mural coronary. Am Heart J 41:359–368
Herrmann J, Higano ST, Lenon RJ et al (2004) Myocardial bridging is associated with alteration in coronary vasoreactivity. Eur Heart J 25:2134–2142
Ishii T, Hosoda Y, Osaka T et al (1986) The significance of myocardial bridge upon atherosclerosis in the left anterior descending coronary artery. J Pathol 148:279–291
Ishikawa Y, Akasaka Y, Ito K et al (2006) Significance of anatomical properties of myocardial bridge on atherosclerosis evolution in the left anterior descending coronary artery. Atherosclerosis 186:380–389
Ishikawa Y, Akasaka Y, Suzuki K et al (2009) Anatomic properties of myocardial bridge predisposing to myocardial infarction. Circulation 120:376–383
Ishimori T, Raizner AF, Chabine RA et al (1977) Myocardial bridges in man: clinical correlations and angiographic accentuation with nitroglycerine. Cathet Cardiovasc Diagn 3:59–65
Kosiński A, Grzybiak M (2001) Myocardial bridges in the human heart: morphological aspects. Folia Morphol (Warsz) 60:65–68
Loukas M, Curry B, Bowers M et al (2006) The relationship of myocardial bridges to coronary artery dominance in the adult human heart. J Anat 209:43–50
Mavi A, Sercelik A, Ayalp R, Karben Z, Batyraliev T, Gumusburun E (2008) The angiographic aspects of myocardial bridges in Turkish patients who have undergone coronary angiography. Ann Acad Med Singap 37:49–53
Möhlenkamp S, Hort W, Ge J et al (2002) Update on myocardial bridging. Circulation 106:2616–2622
Morris EWT (1976) Observations on the source of embryonic myocardioblasts. J Anat 121:47–64
Noble J, Bourassa MG, Petitclerc R, Dyrda I (1976) Myocardial bridging and milking effect of the anterior descending coronary artery: normal variant or obstruction? Am J Cardiol 37:993–999
Okmen E, Oguz E, Erdinler I, Sanli A, Cam N (2002) Left circumflex coronary artery bridging. Jpn Heart J 43:423–427
Peralta MR, Alfaro JK, Gómez A et al (1998) Puentes miocárdicas. Papel de la microcirculaciόn, reserva coronaria y daňo endotelial sistólico. Arch Inst Cardiol Méx 68:506–514
Portmann W, Iwig J (1960) Die intramurale koronarie im angiogramm. Fortschr Rontgenstr Nuklearmed 92:129–132
Reig J, Loncan MP, Martin S et al (1986) Ponts myocardiques. Incidence et relation avec certaines variables coronariennes. Arch Anat Histol Embryol 69:101–110
Reyman HC (1737) Dissertatio de vasis cordis propriis (dissetation). Med Diss Univ, Göttingen
Tauth J, Sullabarger T (1997) Myocardial infarction associated with myocardial bridging: case history and review of the literature. Cathet Cardiovasc Diagn 40:364–367
Von Polácek P, Kralove H (1961) Relation of myocardial bridges and loops on the coronary arteries to coronary occlusions. Am Heart J 61:44–52
Wymore P, Yedlicka JW, Garcia-Medina V et al (1989) The incidence of myocardial bridges in heart transplants. Cardiovasc Intervent Radiol 12:202–206
Yamaguchi M, Tangkawattana P, Hamlin RL (1996) Myocardial bridging as a factor in heart disorders: critical review and hypothesis. Acta Anat 157:169–260
Yetman AT, McCrindle BW, MacDonald C et al (2004) Myocardial bridging in children with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy a risk factor for sudden death. N Engl J Med 339:1201–1209
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Cakmak, Y.Ö., Cavdar, S., Yalın, A. et al. Myocardial bridges of the coronary arteries in the human fetal heart. Anat Sci Int 85, 140–144 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12565-009-0069-3
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12565-009-0069-3