CASE REPORTS  CARDIAC PAPERS 

The Journal of Cardiovascular Surgery 2000 June;41(3):399-400

Copyright © 2009 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Re-use of left internal thoracic artery for redo operation after MIDCAB

Uwabe K., Endo M., Kurihara H., Yoshida I.

From the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery and Department of Cardiology Hokuto Hospital, Obihiro, Japan

We ­report a ­case of recy­cling of ­left ­internal tho­racic ­artery (­LITA) in ­situ in reop­er­a­tion of cor­o­nary ­artery ­bypass ­grafting. A 41-­year-old ­male, who has ­poor-con­trolled hyper­cho­les­ter­o­lemia, was ­bypassed ­LITA to the ­left ante­rior ­descending ­artery (LAD) in min­i­mally inva­sive ­direct cor­o­nary ­artery ­bypass (­MIDCAB) ­manner at the ­other hos­pital. ­Four ­months ­later, he ­felt ­short of ­breath on ­effort. Cor­o­nary angio­gram ­showed ste­noses of the ­left ­main ­trunk and anas­tom­osis ­site of the ­LITA. At ­redo oper­a­tion, we skele­ton­ised the ­LITA and ­reused it in ­situ to the LAD. ­Using the skele­ton­ised ­method for re-har­vesting ­LITA ­made the ­graft ­reach a ­more ­distal por­tion ­without ten­sion. He is ­doing ­well at 18 ­months ­after sur­gery. In ­selected ­patients, recy­cling of the ­used arte­rial ­grafts can ­reserve ­other arte­rial ­grafts for ­redo oper­a­tions in the ­future.