Cardiac saphenous vein bypass graft disease.
Coronary artery bypass grafting is an effective treatment for myocardial ischaemia and is particularly important in patients with multivessel disease and diabetes. However, up to 40% of saphenous vein grafts will occlude within 10 years of surgery. The predominant mechanisms for saphenous vein graft disease are thrombosis, intimal hyperplasia, and accelerated atherosclerosis. The pathology of these changes and the role of key factors such as nitric oxide, cellular proliferation, and the role of hypercholesterolemia and hypertriglyceridaemia, are reviewed. Saphenous vein graft disease is among the first cardiovascular conditions to show significant benefit from gene therapy and promises to show remarkable developments in the near future.
Lau
G T
GT
Department of Cardiology, Concord Repatriation General Hospital, Hospital Rd, Concord, NSW 2139, Australia.
Lowe
H C
HC
Kritharides
L
L
D049109:Cell Proliferation; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass; D003925:Diabetic Angiopathies / Q000503:physiopathology; D006083:Graft Occlusion, Vascular / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D006949:Hyperlipidemias / Q000503:physiopathology; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000502:physiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D012501:Saphenous Vein / Q000473:pathology / Q000637:transplantation*; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000627:therapeutic use
D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D009569:Nitric Oxide