Comparative Study of Coronary Artery Proximal to Myocardial Bridge Segment
Introduction: The muscular segments which overlie the epicardial arteries are termed as myocardial bridges and the artery which travels through them are termed as tunnel arteries. These tunnel arteries get compressed during the systolic compression of the heart, thus partially or completely blocking the blood supply to the corresponding areas. Aim & Objectives: To assess the impact of these myocardial bridges on the proximal segment of the myocardial arteries. Methodology: The present study was cadaveric-based cross-sectional study. A total of 22 hearts which showed the presence of myocardial bridges were collected from two sources namely: cadaver dissections, autopsy. The hearts were clean and numbered. This was followed by fixation, dehydration, clearing, embedding, block formation, section cutting and staining. Result: The present study showed that there is a significant thickening in the tunica intima of the proximal to bridge segment of the coronary artery. The present study also noted that there is a marked thinning of the tunica media of the same segment. Conclusion: The present study concludes that there is a marked hyperplasia in the proximal segment of the myocardial bridges under tunica intima.