Myocardial bridging in a child with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy

Abstract

Myocardial bridging (MB) is a rare coronary anomaly in children which is typically associated with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HCM) or left ventricular hypertrophy. Hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy is the leading cause of sudden cardiac death in young patients, and the association of myocardial ischemia with sudden death has been recognized in patients with HCM. In this report, we describe an 11-year-old boy presented with a history of exertional, nonspecific chest pain and palpitations. Cardiac catheterization revealed MB of the left anterior descending coronary artery with evidence of intramyocardial obstruction during systole. Surgical unroofing of the affected coronary artery segment resulted in complete recovery. Myocardial bridging should be included in the differential diagnosis of children presenting with signs of ischemia.

Keywords: chest pain; coronary artery; hypertrophic cardiomyopathy; myocardial bridging.