title: Experience with the autologous pulmonary vein for pulmonary arterioplasty.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Lobectomy with pulmonary artery resection and reconstruction is seldom performed in order to avoid pneumonectomy in selected cases. The aim of this study is to determine how safe and effective the graft reconstruction of the pulmonary artery is, using autologous tissue taken from the pulmonary vein.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eight patients with diagnosed non-small-cell lung cancer were treated by lobectomy with pulmonary artery reconstruction with curative intent. All patients could have tolerated pneumonectomy. Patch or conduit angioplasty was performed by using a tailored graft, harvested from the autologous pulmonary vein of the resected lobe. Patients were followed up and the clinical records were analyzed retrospectively. Long-term patency of the reconstructed pulmonary artery was investigated by computed tomographic pulmonary angiogram.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No procedure-related complications and no perioperative mortality were observed. No blood transfusion was required. Follow-up varied from 10 to 64 months. No local recurrences were found next to the angioplasty. Ideal long-term patency of the pulmonary artery was demonstrated in all cases. Two patients are alive with evidence of extrathoracic metastatic disease and four patients are apparently healthy. Two patients died of progressive disease.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The use of pulmonary vein tissue as a graft to repair the pulmonary artery is feasible, reproducible, and seems to be oncologically correct. Pulmonary vein tissue can be easily harvested during surgery and offers a high-quality vascular tissue for pulmonary angioplasty.
authors.affiliation: Thoracic Surgery Unit, University of Perugia Medical School, Ospedale S. Maria della Misericordia, Perugia, Italy. fr_puma@yahoo.it
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Puma
authors.forename: Rosanna
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Capozzi
authors.forename: Niccolò
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Daddi
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ragusa
authors.forename: Lucio
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cagini
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Quintili
authors.forename: Jacopo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vannucci
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017130:Angioplasty / Q000379:methods; D001807:Blood Vessel Prosthesis; D019917:Blood Vessel Prosthesis Implantation / Q000379:methods; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011013:Pneumonectomy / Q000379:methods; D011651:Pulmonary Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D011667:Pulmonary Veins / Q000637:transplantation*; D020858:Tissue and Organ Harvesting / Q000379:methods; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014654:Vascular Patency