Interposition grafting of the lower lobe pulmonary artery with a cuff of azygous vein, following its accidental ligation and division.
A patient with a mass lesion suggestive of a bronchial carcinoma in the right upper lobe was taken to theatre for a right upper lobectomy. The lower lobe artery, which was smaller than usual, was inadvertently divided. The arterial blood supply to the lower lobe was repaired with azygous vein as an interposition graft between the stump of the right apical segment arteries and the lower lobe artery. There were no signs of reperfusion injury post-operatively. We report a method that can be safely and relatively easily performed in these rare circumstances.
Cardiothoracic Unit, Victoria Hospital, Whinney Heys Road, Blackpool FY3 8NR, UK. ahoschtitzky@aol.com
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Naisbitt
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