title: Endoscopic radial artery harvesting: our initial experience and results of the first 25 patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The radial artery has become an increasingly popular arterial conduit for coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). However, the traditional open harvesting technique requires a long incision, and is therefore associated with some wound complications and cosmetic problems. Here, we describe our experience of endoscopic radial artery harvesting (ERAH) through a small incision in 25 patients who underwent CABG.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between February 2, 2004 and January 7, 2005, a total of 25 patients (4 females; mean age: 64+/-10 years) underwent ERAH using the VasoView System (Guidant Corporation, Indianapolis, IN) at our institution. All patients underwent a preoperative Allen test to assess the competence of the palmer arch. Twenty-four radial arteries were harvested from the nondominant arm and one from the dominant arm. The mean clinical follow-up was 8+/-2.9 months.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All radial arteries were harvested through a 2-cm incision at the wrist, successfully removed with ERAH and successfully used as CABG conduits. The mean harvest time was 59+/-11 min, and the mean harvested length was 17+/-1.7 cm. No adjunctive procedures were required during vessel harvesting, and no conversions to the open technique were necessary. Harvesting complications included 2 cases of postoperative hematoma and 7 cases of superficial radial nerve paresthesia. Five postoperative angiographies were performed and all radial arteries were patent. Overall, 24/25 (96%) patients were satisfied with the procedure.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The ERAH technique was performed as safely as the traditional open technique and the harvested radial arteries were acceptable as CABG conduits. In particular, patient satisfaction with the procedure regarding the cosmetic results was excellent.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Tomoya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yoshizaki
authors.forename: Hirokuni
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Arai
authors.forename: Toru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Igari
authors.forename: Noriyuki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tabuchi
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Makoto
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sunamori
mesh_terms: D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass; D004724:Endoscopy; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D017534:Radial Artery; D020858:Tissue and Organ Harvesting / Q000379:methods*