Background: The prognostic significance of myocardial bridging in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) remains controversial. This investigation sought to evaluate the impact of myocardial bridging on prognosis of patients with HCM.
Methods: A total of 298 adult patients (73% male, mean age, 53 ± 12 years) with HCM were retrospectively enrolled at Fuwai Hospital from 1999 to 2011. Myocardial bridging was evaluated by coronary angiography. Follow-up data were collected by telephone interviews and mailed questionnaires.
Results: Thirty-four (11%, 34/298) patients were determined with myocardial bridging and the middle of left anterior descending artery was the most frequently involved segment (77%, 26/34). Patients with myocardial bridging were younger than those without bridging (48 ± 9 versus 54 ± 12 years, P = 0.001). During the follow-up of 4.2 ± 2.3 years (range, 0.7-12.2 years), the presence of myocardial bridging was not evidently associated with increased risk for all-cause death (P = 0.54), cardiovascular death (P = 0.60), sudden cardiac death (P = 0.53) and deterioration of heart failure (P = 0.84).
Conclusions: Myocardial bridging was a relatively common morphological component of HCM but not a predictor for adverse clinical outcomes.