• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.165-177
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• 2013

This is the third in a series on coronary artery bypass which reviews three alternative arterial conduits. The radial artery has become the most widely used of the three and accumulating experience demonstrates better patency at 10 years versus saphenous vein. Drawbacks are a long incision on the forearm, the propensity for spasm and persistent sensory disturbance in about 10%. The first is answered by endoscopic harvest which may yield a shorter conduit but reduces sensory nerve injury. Spasm is managed pharmacologically and by less harvest trauma. The gastroepiploic artery is used in situ and free and although the abdominal cavity is entered complications are minimal and patency compares favorably with the radial artery. Use of the inferior epigastric artery remains minimal and its similar length often requires composite use but limited patency data are supportive. Other arteries have had rare use and this is unlikely to change because the three presented here have significant advantages and acceptance.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.32 no.10
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• pp.897-902
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• 1999

Use of the left internal thoracic artery(ITA) to bypass the left anterior descending(LAD) coronary artery has become the standard of care based on its superior graft patency, reduced cardiac events, and enhanced survival. But rarely we encountered with injury to the artery during harvesting which leads to loss of the merits of surgery. We reconstructed inadequate ITAa with other arterial conduits so proximal stump to be a blood source if possible. Maternal and method: Between January 1996 and March 1999, 12 patients received bypass with the reconstructed left internal thoracic artery grafts to left anterior descending artery because of an injury(n=8), short or small(n=4). Right or left ITA was used to LAD as a free graft(n=2). And the other 10 left ITAs were extended with radial artery(n=6), right ITA(n=3), saphenous vein(n=1). Composite "T" graft was made with other arterial conduits in these extended graft(n=5). Result: There was only one morbidity of minor would problem, and no mortality. The patency of extended graft to LAD was complete in 5 patients who received angiography during the period of 2wks to 2 years postoperative, but one of side branch of "T" graft occluded. All of these patients were well. Conclusion: Reconstructive extension with the use of other arterial conduit for the injured proximal ITA is warranted in any patients with acceptable results. acceptable results.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.1092-1100
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• 1989

Since May 1987 to April 1989, fifteen patients have been subjected to coronary artery bypass graft [CABG] including coronary thromboendarterectomy in 3 patients at Hanyang University Hospital. The correlation between the preoperative coronary angiography, electrocardiography, clinical status, operative finding and postoperative blood flow, complication and degree of clinical improvement were evaluated. 1. Ten patients [67 %] were male and five patients [33 %] were female, Ages ranged from 30 to 68 years. [average 52.2 years] 2. The angina by types of presentation was stable in 3 patients, unstable in 12 patients with resting, postinfarction and progressive angina as the criteria of unstability. 3. The number of involved vessels were single in 6 cases, double in 4 cases, triple in 5 cases including 1 case of left main coronary arterial disease. 4. The distribution of sites of distal anastomosis revealed predilection to left coronary arterial system [83 %], especially left anterior descending arterial system. 5. The author performed 4 cases of single bypass, 4 cases of double bypass, 5 cases of triple bypass and 2 cases of quadruple bypass. Of these 15 patients, 3 patients received coronary thromboendarterectomy, LAD in 2 patients and right coronary artery [RCA] in 1 patient. 6. The distal anastomosis were performed first with using saphenous vein grafts as conduits in all cases except 1 case using Gore-Tex conduit because of deficient in length and narrowed internal mammary artery and sequential bypass methods were employed in last 6 cases. 7. One operative death occurred and therefore, mortality rate was 6.7%. The perioperative myocardial infarction were occurred in 3 cases [20%] and its cause was supposed that they were triple vessel disease and therefore, aortic cross clamping times were relatively long. 8. All survivors were followed for 17.7 months on an average [range 5-28 months] and they have had symptomatic improvement except 1 case having mild degree of angina at 1.5 months after operation.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.46 no.5
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• pp.319-327
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• 2013

Strategic planning is integral to any operation but complexity varies immensely and therefore the effort necessary to create the optimal plan. The previous three reports have discussed individual conduits and herein is an attempt to present approaches to common situations which the author favors. Although much has been learned over 45 years about use and subsequent behavior of venous and arterial grafts we continue to learn and, as a result, evolve new strategies or modify those now popular. Thus the reader must recognize that in spite of trying to be balanced and inclusive all surgeons have personal opinions and also prejudices which influence the approach taken and which may not be the optimal one for others or for the patient.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.32 no.10
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• pp.943-946
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• 1999

There was no significant difference in morbidity and mortality between those that received simultaneous operation for coronary artery disease and peripheral vascular disease versus those that received coronary artery bypass graft alone. Simultaneous operation is also cost effective. A 46 year-old patient with resting chest pain and intermittent claudication was diagnosed as unstable angina and Leriche's syndrome. We performed simultaneous revascularization for coronary artery stenosis with internal mammary artery and right gastroepiploic artery and a bifurcated vascular graft interposition between in the aorta, left common iliac and right femoral arteries for Leriche's syndrome. The postoperative coronary angiogram and aortogram revealed a good patency of the arterial conduits and vascular graft. He has been followed for 12 months without any problem.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.39 no.1 s.258
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• pp.42-47
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• 2006

Background: The new Multidetector Computed Tomography (MDCT) is useful in visualization of complex coronary artery anatomy. We investigated usefulness comparing of invasive coronary angiography with noninvasive MDCT in judgment of functional degree of coronary arteries grafts after coronary artery bypass graft operation. Material and Method: We analyzed the patency of 52 conduits from 15 patients whom consented to take both 32 Channel MDCT and coronary angiography from November 2003 to November 2004. Comparisons were performed for sensitivity, specificity, positive prediction value and negative prediction value between coronary angiography and 3 dimensional reconstruction image using MDCT. Result: The average graft used was 3.4 $\pm$ 0.8 per patient. Average heart rate during MDCT was 86/minute (Range, 60$\∼$110/minute) without administration of $\beta$-blocker. All patients could hold breath as much as necessary. The average graft patency obtained through corollary angiography was 96.2$\%$. In MDCT group, the sensitivity, the specificity, the positive predictive value and the negative predictive value for diagnosis was 100$\%$, 98.0$\%$, 100$\%$ and 66.6$\%$ respectively. Conclusion: The effectiveness of 32 Channel MDCT may be compared to coronary angiography in grasping about patency and bloodstream of graft conduits after coronary artery bypass graft. Also MDCT has the advantage of noninvasiveness and inexpensiveness compared to coronary angiography.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.45 no.6
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• pp.351-367
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• 2012

This second report in the series on coronary artery bypass presents the authors experience and personal views on the internal thoracic artery (ITA) which date to 1966. There has been a very gradual evolution in the acceptance of this conduit which was initially compared with the saphenous vein and viewed as an improbable alternative to it. As is common with concepts and techniques which are 'outside the box' there was skepticism and criticism of this new conduit which was more difficult and time consuming to harvest for the surgeon who had to do it all. It was viewed as small, fragile, spastic and its flow capacity was questioned. Only a few surgeons employed it because of these issues and some of them would frequently graft it to the diagonal artery as it was thought not to supply adequate flow for the left anterior descending unless it was small. After a decade, angiographic data revealed superior patency to vein grafts. Even this evidence and survival benefit reported a few years later did not convince many surgeons that their concerns about limitations justified its use. Thus widespread adaption of the ITA as the conduit of choice for the anterior descending required another decade and bilateral use is only now expanding to more than 5% of patients in the US and somewhat faster in other countries.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.46 no.6
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• pp.413-425
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• 2013

Background: Graft vessel preservation solution in coronary artery bypass surgery is used to maintain the graft conduit in optimal condition during the perioperative period. Nafamostat mesilate (NM) has anticoagulation and anti-inflammatory properties. Therefore, we investigated NM as a conduit preservative agent and compared it to papaverine. Methods: Sprague-Dawley (SD) rat thoracic aortas were examined for their contraction-relaxation ability using phenylephrine (PE) and acetylcholine (ACh) following preincubation with papaverine and NM in standard classical organ baths. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were cultured to check for the endothelial cell viability. Histopathological examination and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling assay were performed on the thoracic aortas of SD rats. Results: The anti-contraction effects of papaverine were superior to those of NM at PE (p<0.05). The relaxation effect of NM on ACh-induced vasodilatation was not statistically different from that of papaverine. Viability assays using HUVECs showed endothelial cell survival rates of >90% in various concentrations of both NM and papaverine. A histopathological study showed a protective effect against necrosis and apoptosis (p<0.05) in the NM group. Conclusion: NM exhibited good vascular relaxation and a reasonable anti-vasocontraction effect with a better cell protecting effect than papaverine; therefore, we concluded that NM is a good potential conduit preserving agent.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.45 no.5
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• pp.275-286
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• 2012

The saphenous vein has been the principal conduit for coronary bypass grafting from the beginning, circa 1970. This report briefly traces this history and concomitantly presents one surgeons experience and personal views on use of the vein graft. As such it is not exhaustive but meant to be practical with a modest number of references. The focus is that of providing guidance and perspective which may be at variance with that of others and recognizing that there may be many ways to accomplish the task at hand. Hopefully the surgeon in training/early career may find this instructive on the journey to surgical maturity.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.40 no.8
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• pp.546-551
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• 2007

Background: The radial artery is gaining widespread acceptance as complementary arterial conduits for surgical myocardial revascularization, but there have been limited reports about its angiographic patency compared with that of internal thoracic artery or saphenous vein. We tried to evaluate angiographic patency of radial artery graft and to compare that of radial artery and other gratis with retrospective manner. Material and Method: From January 2001 to Jure 2006, totally 132 patients (male 92, female 40) who underwent coronary artery bypass graft using radial artery were re-admitted to our hospital for follow up angiographic examination. Mean age was 58.2+8.87 and mean follow up duration was 32 month ($2{\sim}110$ month). Off pump and on pump bypass surgery were performed 74 and 58 patients respectively. Along with radial artery, left internal thoracic arteries were used in 57 cases, concomitant left internal thoracic artery and saphenous veins were used in 47 cases and bilateral internal thoracic arteries were used in 20 cases. Result: Totally 412 distal anastomosis were performed and 376 anastomosis remained patent (91.2%). Left internal thoracic artery showed the most excellent patency in all of the conduits (98.5%). Radial artery graft patency was 90.8% (169/186). There was no statistical difference of the patency by conduit between on-pump and off-pump group. But radial artery showed more higher patency rate (98/110, 89%) in the severe stenotic lesion that preoperatively revealed more than 90% stenosis than in the lesser severe (<90%) stenotic lesion (60/76, 78%)(p < 0.005). Radial artery conduit represented the worst result when it was grafted in the right coronary system. But when it was positioned in the left heart especially diagonal or obtuse marginal area, patency was comparable with left internal thoracic artery. Conclusion: Radial artery graft showed good midterm patency when it was used in the severe stenotic lesion more than 90% and left coronary system. But great notice should be taken when it is grafted in the right coronary system or less severe stenotic lesion.