title: Beyond peripheral arteries in Buerger's disease: angiographic considerations in thromboangiitis obliterans.
abstract: Thromboangiitis obliterans is an inflammatory peripheral vascular disease that is strongly associated with smoking. It predominantly affects distal small- and medium-sized blood vessels of both the upper and lower extremities. We present histological evidence of this disease process affecting the internal mammary arteries. This can be of paramount clinical significance for patients with Buerger's disease who present with obstructive coronary artery disease and require coronary artery bypass grafting surgery (CABG). Internal mammary arteries involved with thromboangiitis obliterans cannot be utilized as arterial conduits during CABG and other alternatives have to be used. Therefore, we recommend preoperative angiography of both internal mammary arteries in patients with Buerger's disease requiring CABG to prevent extensive intraoperative dissection of diseased internal mammary arteries.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, San Diego, California 92103, USA.
authors.forename: Bobbi
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hoppe
authors.forename: Jonathan T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Thistlewaite
authors.forename: Eunhee S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Yi
authors.forename: Ehtisham
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mahmud
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008323:Mammary Arteries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery; D016491:Peripheral Vascular Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D013919:Thromboangiitis Obliterans / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging