Myocardial bridge and coronary artery fistulas in a patient with angina

Abstract

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of mortality among the population. At the core of the progression of the coronary heart disease is the atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries, which is found in majority of patients suffering from angina and in patients with myocardial infarction. However, in some cases, coronary angiography reveals, that patients with the mentioned clinical manifestations have their coronary arteries unchanged. This is treated as syndrome X or microvascular angina. Along with that, development or aggravation of the coronary heart disease may be based on the congenital peculiarities in the coronary arteries location and structure, such as muscular bridges and fistulas of the coronary artery. This is confirmed by a number of studies, which indicate the role of the above mentioned pathologies in the occurrence of angina and myocardial infarction. Nevertheless, there is also the opposite view, which is supported by a number of specialists. According to them, the presence of the mentioned peculiarities in the structure of the coronary channel is deemed as the patient-specific norm. Hence, the issue of the surgical treatment of the patients with the aforementioned coronary arteries anomalies remains controversial. The clinical case report of the patient with the symptoms of angina pectoris, in which the coronary angiography did not reveal the stenosis of the coronaries arteries, but located the myocardial bridge and the coronary fistula. The role of the congenital coronary vessels pathology in the angina pectoris is analyzed. The diagnosis guidelines and the tactics of the conservative and surgical treatment of patients with the above mentioned syndromes are discussed.