LSU basketball coach Kim Mulkey has revealed she underwent potentially life-saving surgery this summer after accidentally discovering a problem with her heart.

Mulkey, who put pen to paper on a record 10-year, $32million contract with the Tigers earlier this month, did not experience any symptoms and had no idea of her underlying issue.

One month after guiding LSU to its first ever national title, the 61-year-old felt a tingling sensation at the tip of her left finger which had been going on for months and decided to get it checked out. The diagnosis was carpal tunnel syndrome, caused by a pinch nerve in the wrist.

However, on the same visit Mulkey also asked if she could have a scan of her neck to make sure all was in check five years on from a disc-replacement surgery she had while coaching at Baylor.

After initially being told it checked out fine, she received a call from a radiologist a few days later saying there appears to be plaque in her carotid arteries. 

LSU basketball coach Kim Mulkey has revealed she underwent potentially life-saving surgery

Mulkey, who guided the Tigers to their first ever national title in April, did not experience any symptoms before accidentally discovering a problem with her heart

Mulkey then went to see a cardiologist, who discovered there was 'a little blockage' in the arteries after putting her on a treadmill. She was then booked in for a procedure described as left heart catheterization with coronary arteriograms, followed by an intervascular ultrasound-assisted tandem stent placement to the left anterior descending artery.

'You're awake for the procedure,' she said after her defending champions officially began practice on Monday. 'Then they told me, "You were 95-99 per cent blocked in one artery." 

'And I said, "Doc, why didn't I feel bad in any way?" He said, "You're what's called an asymptomatic patient. You're the ones that can die suddenly and drive cardiologists crazy." 

'I asked if I was likely to have had a heart attack without the procedure, and he said, "Yes, eventually." I said, "Will I feel any different now?" and he said, "No, because you didn't have symptoms." 

'And I feel fine, just like I did before. But it's really encouraged me to tell people that if you can, get your heart checked.'

Mulkey underwent the procedure in late June given she had some upcoming trips planned at the time, including to the White House to be recognized with her LSU team on May 26.

Since going under the knife, the issue is still being treated with a cholesterol pill, beta blocker and blood thinner. 

Following a trip to the White House with her team in May, the $32million coach underwent the surgery at the end of June

It is not her first serious health problem, nevertheless, with Mulkey also missing a first-round NCAA tournament in 2009 to have kidney stones removed, three years before she suffered with Bell's palsy, a form of facial paralysis caused by a nerve dysfunction.

Yet on the back of her heart scare, the Tigers coach it urging others to go for regular check-ups even when not displaying any symptoms. 

'As an athlete, your body gives you signals with injuries. And even with non-athletic things like kidney stones, you definitely feel it,' Mulkey said. 'The issue with my heart, it was really just luck that we found it.

'So I will keep telling people, "Get yourself checked out. You have nothing to lose, and it could save your life."'

LSU begins the defense of its title against Colorado Buffaloes on November 6. 

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