title: Aortovenous bypass graft to the posterior left ventricle in absence of an identifiable coronary artery.
abstract: We report the case of a 70-year-old woman with significant intermediate coronary artery stenosis who underwent a series of stent procedures, ultimately leading to compromise of the origin of the circumflex artery. Intraoperatively, identification of an obtuse marginal coronary artery was impossible due to a thick layer of epicardial fat, calcification of the posterior atrioventricular groove, and an adherent, thickened pericardium. Therefore, a saphenous vein graft to the posterior vein of the left ventricle was constructed with ligation of the vein cephalad. This uncommon approach to surgical revascularization effectively relieved the patient's angina and may be of use in other difficult cases.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiovascular Surgery, Toronto General Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kulik
authors.forename: Michael A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Borger
authors.forename: Hugh E
authors.initials: HE
authors.lastname: Scully
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000789:Angina, Unstable / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D015906:Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass / Q000379:methods*; D023903:Coronary Restenosis / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D012501:Saphenous Vein / Q000637:transplantation*; D014680:Veins / Q000601:surgery