title: Long-term angiographic follow-up of robotic-assisted coronary artery revascularization.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Robotic-assisted coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) has been shown in short-term studies to increase patient satisfaction and to reduce surgical morbidity and recovery times. However, the long-term patency rate of robotic-assisted CABG is unknown. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess the long-term patency rate of robotic-assisted coronary artery bypass grafts.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study cohort included all patients who underwent robotic-assisted conduit dissection for CABG at London Health Sciences Centre between September 1999 and December 2003. These patients had selective graft patency assessment using cardiac catheterization or computed tomography angiography (CTA), or both, and stress myocardial perfusion scintigraphy (MPS) 5 to 10 years after surgery to evaluate graft patency and to give functional information on the hemodynamic significance of any graft stenosis. Patients also completed quality of life questionnaires.
  
  
  RESULTS
  From a total of 160 patients who underwent robotic-assisted CABG, 82 eligible patients were followed with graft patency assessments for a mean period of 8 years±16.3 months. The patency rate of all robotic-assisted CABG grafts in this patient cohort was 92.7%. The patency rate of left internal thoracic artery grafts to the left anterior descending artery after robotic-assisted CABG in this patient cohort was 93.4%. Patients consistently attained high scores on quality of life questionnaires after surgery.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The long-term patency rate of grafts after robotic-assisted CABG was 92.7% at a mean follow-up period of 95.8±16.3 months. Specifically, the patency rate of left internal thoracic artery grafts to the left anterior descending artery after robotic-assisted CABG was 93.4%.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiac Surgery, Department of Surgery, London Health Sciences Centre, London, Ontario, Canada. maria.currie@londonhospitals.ca
authors.forename: Maria E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Currie
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Romsa
authors.forename: Stephanie A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Fox
authors.forename: William C
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Vezina
authors.forename: Cigdem
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Akincioglu
authors.forename: James C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Warrington
authors.forename: R Scott
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: McClure
authors.forename: Larry W
authors.initials: LW
authors.lastname: Stitt
authors.forename: Alan H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Menkis
authors.forename: W Douglas
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: Boyd
authors.forename: Bob
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kiaii
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D015331:Cohort Studies; D017023:Coronary Angiography / Q000379:methods; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006083:Graft Occlusion, Vascular / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009864:Ontario; D011300:Preoperative Care / Q000379:methods; D011788:Quality of Life; D012086:Reoperation; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012371:Robotics / Q000379:methods*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012737:Sex Factors; D013997:Time Factors; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed; D014654:Vascular Patency / Q000502:physiology