Original Articles Korean Circulation J 2001;31(7):637-644

Background：A myocardial bridge (MB) is an anatomical arrangement in which a limited segment of an epi-cardial coronary artery becomes engulfed by myocardial fibers. Although it has generally been felt that most instances of bridginge are benign, recent reports have suggested that MB can be associated with evidence of myocardial ischemia, myocardial infarction, arrhythmia and sudden death. This study investigated the clinical characteristics of MB and the significance of the treadmill test (TMT). Methods：Among 4317 consecutive coronary angiograms performed from November 1995 to June 1999, 52 patients were found to have MB. The clinical data, coronary angiography and treadmill tests results were reviewed for these patients. Results：The overall prevalence of MB was 1.22%. Stable angina, atypical chest pain, variant angina, and AMI occurred in 33(63%), 15(29%), 2(4%), and 2(4%) cases, respectively. Electrocardiographic findings were normal in 31 cases(59%), ST-T changes in 20 cases(38%), and OMI in 1 case(3%)(Ed-surely this is 2%). The mean systolic stenosis of MB was 54%, the mean length segment of MB was 11.96±4.96 mm (Ed-“± ” nomenclature has been corrupted) and all patients had MBs of the left anterior descending(LAD) coronary artery. Among the 23 cases of TMT examination, 17 were positive(77%). There was no significant statistical difference between TMT(＋) and TMT(-) in terms of clinical characteristics and coronary angiographic data. W