title: Gastroepiploic artery as an in situ coronary artery bypass graft: evaluation of MRI and colour Doppler ultrasound in follow-up.
abstract: The right gastroepiploic artery, increasingly used as an in situ coronary artery bypass graft, has good long-term patency. This study aimed to assess the accuracy and limitations of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and colour Doppler ultrasound (US) in postoperative follow-up of such cases. In eight consecutive patients (6 men, 2 women, mean age 57 years), conventional angiography, MRI and US were performed to evaluate graft patency. Colour Doppler US, performed within a week of the operation, correctly detected flow in three patent grafts. MRI (1.5 tesla) was performed c. 17 months after surgery, using a spine coil and a coronal two-dimensional Flash-type imaging sequence. At angiography six of the eight gastroepiploic artery grafts were patent, and two were occluded. The sensitivity and specificity of MRI were 100%. This accuracy makes MRI a promising method for noninvasive post-operative evaluation of right gastroepiploic artery graft patency.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Radiology, Kuopio University Hospital, Finland.
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Vanninen
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Vainio
authors.forename: H I
authors.initials: HI
authors.lastname: Manninen
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Suhonen
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Jaakola
mesh_terms: D001158:Arteries / Q000637:transplantation*; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009852:Omentum / Q000098:blood supply*; D011184:Postoperative Period; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013270:Stomach / Q000098:blood supply*; D018615:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color; D014654:Vascular Patency