Has anyone been treated for Myocardial Bridging at Mayo?

Hello @raweber, and welcome to Connect,

My search for myocardial bridging brought up this past discussion, https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/unknown-undiagnosed-medical-condition/ in which @melissacrn wrote about her brother in law. I sincerely hope she will return to join us here.

@raweber, may I ask if you would share a bit more? Have you been diagnosed with myocardial bridging? What are the symptoms associated within condition?

Yes, I was diagnosed with myocardial bridging 11/01/17 as a result of a heart cath. Initial symptoms included chest tightness/ache, tingling in arms, shortness of breath, general fatigue and lack of energy. Went to family doctor after not being able to give blood due to my hemoglobin being too low. I have extensive family history of heart disease (mother passed away of heart attack). She initially did an EKG which was abnormal so she sent me to a cardiologist. Cardiologist did a nuclear stress test and echo which came back inconclusive. Then I had a cat scan which showed a blockage. 11/01/17 I went in for a cath thinking I would end up with a stent. Dr. did not place a stent (felt the blockage was not high enough) but told me I had myocardial bridging and he would treat medically. Since this time I have been on medication and attended cardiac rehab. I am still experiencing the same symptoms (some decrease with medication) so I am coming to Mayo April 16 for a consult.

I was, I had a 5 cm myocardial bridge which was unroofed on 12/4/14. My story is too long to post here but MB is a very serious condition and the care I received at the Mayo Clinic by Dr. Lerman was excellent. I am currently working with the team at Stanford as I live in the San Francisco area. If you have any questions I would be happy to talk to you or anyone else. I had a very significant bridge and while the surgery has not completely corrected the endothelial dysfunction the bridge caused it has made a huge improvement in my life. I am back to competitive Ironman competition.

Hi @kylewatson,

Thank you so much for joining Connect. If you are able to share more, I'm certain that others would appreciate reading and learning from your insights. May I ask how long was your recovery after surgery? The fact that you are training for competitive Ironman is just incredible! Wish you all the best.

I was just diagnosed with MB and my primary doctor and Cardiologist don't seem very concerned about my condition even though I have chronic chest pain and blood pressure issues. How do I go about contacting Mayo Clinic for scheduling an appointment?

Hello @boniface48,

Welcome to Connect. If you’d like to make an appointment at Mayo Clinic, please call one of our appointment offices – you can also request an appointment online – and representatives will ask a few questions to help direct you to the best specialist.
The contact information for all 3 Mayo Clinic locations (Minnesota, Arizona, Florida) can be found here: http://mayocl.in/1mtmR63

While I’m confident that @raweber @kylewatson will return to share their insights, I’d also like to like to introduce you to @ch665296f who has written about this condition.

Myocardial bridging is a congenital anomaly which has long been considered benign. Here are two recent articles which evaluate the cardiovascular consequences of myocardial bridging:
– https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-13958-0
– https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIRCINTERVENTIONS.117.006247

@boniface48, I’m so glad to hear that you are seeking a second opinion at Mayo Clinic – one of the many valuable things I’ve learned the Connect community is that you should never give up until you find the right person who can help you in the best possible way.
May I ask if your doctors have offered any suggestions for managing your symptoms?

The Cardiologist who performed my heart catheterization has directed me to take 2- 20 mg Isosorbide dinitrate daily as well as my usual dosages of blood pressure medications. It seems to be controlling the angina pectoris fairly well, but it's still disconcerting to deal with since I'm a widow and live alone. I am scheduled to see his PA tomorrow morning. It would seem that a myocardial bridge is not considered life threatening, is this accurate? Thank you.

Hi @boniface48,

I’m not a doctor, and cannot offer any medical opinions on Connect. However, I’d like to invite a few stalwarts of the Heart & Blood Health group – @predictable @hopeful33250 @thankful @sue225 – as they might be able to shed more light on your symptoms.

Hello @boniface48

I am glad that you posted about your myocardial bridge diagnosis. I can certainly understand your concern. As this is something that I have not heard of before, I did look at the links that @kanaazpereira posted and I see that it is considered a benign problem. It looks like the med that you mentioned, Isosorbide dinitrate, is working for you in terms of the angina discomfort. Is that correct?

I hope that your appointment with the PA goes well and that you get some reassurance about this diagnosis. If you do want a 2nd opinion from Mayo Clinic here is a link where you can get information about requesting an appointment, https://www.mayoclinic.org/appointments.

Will you post again after your appointment with the PA and let us know how you are doing?

I would not be much help. I have a specific type of arrythmia for which I see an electro physiologist. It is controlled by a low dose of metoprolol. I know nothing about any other heart issues.