Comparison of conventional technique and ultrasonographic mapping in saphenous vein harvesting.
BACKGROUND
Saphenous vein mapping provides accurate identification of the graft diameter, location of the harvest side, and quality of graft and also led to a selective leg skin incision. In this article, we aimed to compare patients who underwent coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery with or without vein mapping.


METHODS
Patients who underwent CABG surgery with saphenous vein grafts (SVG) between January 2005 and January 2010 in our service were analyzed retrospectively. One hundred seventy-eight 178 SVGs were harvested with classical methods (Group A), and 136 SVGs were harvested after Doppler ultrasonography (USG) mapping (Group B).


RESULTS
In Group A, 6.7% of patients needed additional incisions for graft harvesting than planned before CABG surgery due to unsuitable vein grafts. In Group B, SVGs were harvested from left lower extremity in 16 patients, and the saphenous vein was not suitable for grafting in 1 patient due to Doppler examination. In the postoperative period, complications at the incision site were reduced in Group B.


CONCLUSIONS
Preoperative vein mapping for harvesting SVGs is an effective method in reducing wound site complications, hospital stay, and hospital costs and in increasing patient comfort and satisfaction.
Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Gulhane Military Medical Academy, Haydarpasa Training Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.
Veysel
V
Temizkan
Murat
M
Ugur
Gokhan
G
Arslan
Ibrahim
I
Alp
Erturk
E
Yedekci
Alper
A
Ucak
Ahmet Turan
AT
Yilmaz
D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016343:Monitoring, Intraoperative / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012501:Saphenous Vein / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery*; D025321:Surgery, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D020858:Tissue and Organ Harvesting / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D018084:Ultrasonography, Interventional / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*