title: Angiographic follow-up of internal thoracic artery for free bypass grafting.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The use of free internal thoracic artery (ITA) grafts in patients with smaller body surface areas has been questioned because of technical difficulties and inadequate graft flow.
  
  
  METHODS
  To evaluate postoperative changes in the diameter of free ITA grafts, we performed coronary angiography immediately after coronary artery bypass grafting and then again at a mean of 42 +/- 6 months later. In 20 consecutively treated patients, 21 free ITAs were used as bypass conduits. Two ITA grafts that were patent at the time of the first angiography had closed at the second angiography. Postoperative changes in ITA graft diameter were measured in the 19 patent ITA grafts.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At the first angiography, the mean diameters of the proximal, middle, and distal ITA grafts were 2.28 +/- 0.45 mm, 2.34 +/- 0.39 mm, and 2.12 +/- 0.38 mm, respectively. At the second angiography, the mean diameters of the proximal, middle, and distal ITA grafts were 2.85 +/- 0.50 mm, 2.89 +/- 0.53 mm, and 2.72 +/- 0.53 mm, respectively. All segments of the ITA grafts had dilated significantly between the first and second angiographic evaluations (p < 0.01). The percentage change in graft diameter was greater when the initial ITA diameter was less than 2.3 mm (32.0% +/- 28.0%) than when it was 2.3 mm or more (18.8% +/- 11.3%) (p < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The postoperative increase in free ITA graft diameter depends on coronary blood flow requirements.
authors.affiliation: Cardiovascular Center, Saiseikai Shimonoseki Hospital, Yamaguchi, Japan.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Masuda
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Matsuda
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tanimoto
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sakata
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hayashi
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass / Q000379:methods*; D003326:Coronary Circulation / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013895:Thoracic Arteries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery*