[Angiographic findings of right gastroepiploic artery grafts in early and late phases].
Five hundred and eighty-nine patients underwent isolated coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) using the right gastroepiploic artery (GEA) in our institute from 1993 to 2004. Early and late results were reviewed retrospectively. Early results: Patients were divided into 2 groups according to target vessel stenosis (group A: degree of stenosis 75% , n=98, 82 men and 16 women, mean age 61.4+/-8.0. Group B: degree of stenosis more than 90%, n=491, 409 men and 82 women, mean age 62.3+/-8.8). Mortality is 0% in group A and 1.0% in group B. Coronary angiography (CAG) revealed patent grafts without stenosis or string sign were 49% in group A and 96% in group B. Forty % of grafts in group A showed string sign. Neither free flow nor harvesting fashion affected the occurrence of string sign. Late results: Twenty-five patients in group A and 53 patients in group B underwent CAG in the late phase (mean interval from CABG to CAG was 4.7+/-2.0 years). Eight grafts were patent but 14 grafts showed string sign in group A. Among the 53 grafts in group B, 49 were patent without stenosis or string sign in the early phase. Forty-seven of them remained patent in the late phase. In conclusion, GEA can achieve good results when target vessels have severe stenosis.
Hagiwara
H
H
Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Japanese Red Cross Nagoya First Hospital, Nagoya, Japan.
Sunada
M
M
Yoshizumi
T
T
Nakayama
T
T
Abe
T
T
Nakayama
M
M
Ito
T
T
D000368:Aged; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D024405:Gastroepiploic Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000637:transplantation*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011184:Postoperative Period; D014654:Vascular Patency