title: Clinical results of coronary artery bypass grafting with use of the internal thoracic artery under low free flow conditions.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Even when left internal thoracic artery flow is very low, we have used the artery for grafting without any further maneuvers. In this study, we investigated the clinical results of coronary bypass surgery using the left internal thoracic artery with low free flow.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 163 patients were divided into 2 groups: group L (n = 43) had free flow of 20 mL/min or less and group H (n = 120) had free flow of more than 20 mL/min. We performed a comparative study on the basis of coronary angiography and pulsed Doppler echocardiography. Furthermore, 12 months' postoperative graft angiography was carried out in 11 patients from group L.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No patient had low output syndrome or perioperative myocardial infarction. One month after the operation, 3 cases of graft occlusion and 9 cases of the "string sign" were identified in group H. However, group L had no graft occlusion and only 1 case of the "string sign." The 1-month postoperative Doppler echocardiographic study showed no significant differences in the diastolic fraction of velocity time integrals and the diastolic/systolic peak velocity ratio of the grafts. In the 11 patients undergoing angiography after 1 year, graft patency was excellent. Moreover, the graft diameter was significantly larger than it was 1 month after the operation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that the left internal thoracic artery can be used for coronary artery bypass grafting even when the flow is less than 20 mL/min.
authors.affiliation: Second Department of Surgery and Public Health, Nihon University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan. mihata@med.nihon-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hata
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shiono
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Orime
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yagi
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Okumura
authors.forename: S i
authors.initials: Si
authors.lastname: Kimura
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sezai
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kashiwazaki
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Choh
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Negishi
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sezai
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Yokoyama
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hata
mesh_terms: D001783:Blood Flow Velocity / Q000502:physiology; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery; D018619:Echocardiography, Doppler, Pulsed; D005260:Female; D006083:Graft Occlusion, Vascular / Q000209:etiology; D006439:Hemodynamics / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011673:Pulsatile Flow; D012307:Risk Factors; D013895:Thoracic Arteries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000637:transplantation*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014654:Vascular Patency