title: Myocardial revascularization with bilateral internal thoracic artery in patients with left main disease: an incremental risk?
abstract: Although the long-term patency of the internal thoracic artery (ITA) has been well proved, there is still some concern about its preoperative performance. We considered 80 patients with left main disease (mean age 60.2 years) who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting in our institute from March 1988 to September 1992. Patients with left main disease were divided into 2 groups: group I-38 patients receiving only ITA grafts on the left coronary system and group II-42 patients having a single ITA graft together with saphenous vein grafts on the left coronary system. No patients in group I received a saphenous graft on the left coronary system and three patients with right coronary artery involvement received total arterial myocardial revascularization with the use of the inferior epigastric artery. Perioperative complications in group I and group II patients were, respectively: myocardial necrosis in 2 (6.9%) and 3 (8.8%), use of intraaortic balloon pump in 2 (6.9%) and 2 (5.9%). No death occurred in either group. In our experience, the use of bilateral ITA grafts in patients with left main stenosis was not related to an incremental risk. We conclude that left main disease should not be considered as counterindication to the extensive use of arterial conduits.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Cardiovascular and Respiratory Diseases, Scientific Institute H San Raffaele, University of Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Paolini
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zuccari
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Di Credico
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gallorini
authors.forename: P L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Stefano
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Castiglioni
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Pala
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Grossi
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009204:Myocardial Revascularization / Q000379:methods*; D011182:Postoperative Care; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012501:Saphenous Vein / Q000637:transplantation*; D013895:Thoracic Arteries / Q000637:transplantation*; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome