title: Surgical treatment of left main and left main equivalent coronary artery disease.
abstract: There is a tendency to equate left main (LM) and left main equivalent (LME) coronary artery disease in terms of the surgical risk and benefit. Eighty-seven patients with LM disease were compared to 78 patients with LME disease as to operative mortality rate and long-term benefits. One hundred percent follow-up was obtained. Although the two groups were similar preoperatively with regard to age, sex, and ventricular function, the operative results in the two groups differed. There was a significantly higher operative mortality rate in the LM group of patients (12.6% versus 2.5%). However, the incidence of graft patency and relief of symptoms was lower in the LME group of patients. The late mortality rate was 4% in both groups. LME disease appears to represent a subgroup of patients with three-vessel disease and cannot be equated with LM disease.
mesh_terms: D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass / Q000401:mortality*; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D003331:Coronary Vessels; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged