Myocardial infarction in a young African-American male due to myocardial bridging.

Myocardial bridging is a clinically uncommon congenital anomaly characterized by tunneling of the coronary artery within the myocardial tissue, usually seen in the left anterior descending artery. Myocardial bridging is associated with altered intracoronary hemodynamics during systole and diastole, determined by the severity and the location of the bridging within the coronary artery. Patients with myocardial bridging may present with angina in the absence of other coronary risk factors which may paradoxically improve with exercise due to an increased intrasystolic pressure, preventing vessel compression. It is uncommon to have bridging in the right coronary artery; it is even more uncommon to have right coronary artery bridging with angina and significant ECG changes. We present a case involving bridging of the right coronary artery with significant symptoms and ECG changes. Copyright 2006 S. Karger AG, Basel.