title: Right internal thoracic artery through the transverse sinus in myocardial revascularization.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study presents the late patency rate of the right internal thoracic artery (ITA) used in situ through the pericardium transverse sinus to the circumflex artery and its branches.
  
  
  METHODS
  From April 1983 to December 1994, 2,642 patients were submitted to myocardial revascularization; 201 of them had bilateral ITAs. The right ITA through the transverse sinus was grafted to obtuse marginal artery in 170 patients (84.5%) and the left ITA was grafted to the anterior descending artery in 188 patients (93.5%). Angiographic studies were performed in 80 patients, 44 patients in the immediate postoperative period and 36 patients in the late follow-up (mean, 51.6 months).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The right ITA was patent in 75 patients (93.7%) and the left ITA was patent in 77 (96.2%). At the late postoperative period, the right ITA was patent in 33 patients (91.6%) and the left ITA was patent in 34 (94.4%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The right ITA placed through the pericardium transverse sinus has a good long-term patency rate, similar to that observed with the left ITA and superior to that of saphenous vein grafts for myocardial revascularization.
authors.affiliation: Hospital Beneficência Portuguesa de São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: L R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Gerola
authors.forename: L B
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Puig
authors.forename: L F
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Moreira
authors.forename: G V
authors.initials: GV
authors.lastname: Cividanes
authors.forename: G P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Gemha
authors.forename: R C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Souto
authors.forename: E C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Oppi
authors.forename: A H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Souza
mesh_terms: D000206:Actuarial Analysis; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass / Q000379:methods*; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000601:surgery; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000601:surgery; D048909:Diabetes Complications; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000150:complications; D010496:Pericardium / Q000601:surgery; D012307:Risk Factors; D012501:Saphenous Vein / Q000637:transplantation; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects; D015996:Survival Rate; D013895:Thoracic Arteries / Q000637:transplantation*; D014654:Vascular Patency