Long-term patency of coronary grafts with endoscopically harvested saphenous veins determined by contrast-enhanced electron beam computed tomography.
OBJECTIVE
We determined the long-term patency rates of coronary artery grafts with endoscopically harvested saphenous veins.


METHODS
Patency rates were established in 51 patients with 130 distal saphenous vein grafts using contrast-enhanced electron beam computed tomography at 3.74 +/- 0.65 years after coronary artery bypass grafting. A similar group of 50 patients with 131 distal grafts were studied prospectively using the same methodology at 0.7 +/- 0.19 years after coronary artery bypass grafting.


RESULTS
The overall patency rates were 95.4% in the retrospective group and 95.3% in the prospective group. Sequential grafts tended to have a patency advantage over independent grafts.


CONCLUSIONS
These data compare favorably with reported patency rates for traditionally harvested saphenous veins. Endoscopic saphenous vein harvesting, in addition to previous favorable reports on pain, complications, and costs, is now shown to provide comparable or better patency rates in comparison with traditionally harvested veins.
Cardiac Surgery Associates, Edward Cardiovascular Institute, Edward Hospital, 120 Spalding Drive, Suite 201, Naperville, IL 60504, USA. zdavis@openheart.net
Zev
Z
Davis
Dave
D
Garber
Stanley
S
Clark
Howard
H
Roth
Vincent
V
Bufalino
Matthew J
MJ
Budoff
Songshou
S
Mao
H Kurt
HK
Jacobs
D000368:Aged; D003287:Contrast Media; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass; D004724:Endoscopy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007472:Iohexol; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012501:Saphenous Vein / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000637:transplantation*; D020858:Tissue and Organ Harvesting / Q000379:methods*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014654:Vascular Patency
D003287:Contrast Media; D007472:Iohexol