Radial artery, saphenous vein versus left internal thoracic artery in recurrent ischemic symptoms after coronary artery bypass graft surgery.

BACKGROUND The long-term results of coronary artery bypass surgery depend mostly on the type of the grafts. For a long time, it has been accepted that arterial grafts are superior to venous grafts. In this study, we evaluated the angiographic patency rates of arterial and venous grafts. METHODS The study took place between 2003 and 2013 in the Departments of Cardiovascular Surgery in Baskent University. The study included 52 patients with recurrent ischemic symptoms (of total 2183 coronary artery bypass surgery patients) following coronary artery bypass surgery. The patients were evaluated by control angiography during over mid- and long-term postoperative period (mean, 75.25 ± 35.15 months). Based on the angiographic findings, the grafts were divided into 3 groups: severe stenosis, moderate stenosis, and patent. RESULTS The preoperative demographics (age, gender, hypertension or diabetes mellitus) were similar in the three groups. The mean numbers of distal anastomoses were 3.27 ± 0.89 (range 2-5), the degree of native coronary artery stenosis for radial artery anastomosis was 79.65 ± 17.72, and the mean numbers of radial artery and saphenous vein grafts were 1.19 ± 0.44 and 1.10 ± 0.89, respectively. The patency rate was 80.77%for radial arteries, 63.2% for saphenous veins, and 82.4% for left internal thoracic arteries in the three groups. CONCLUSION The internal thoracic artery graft was confirmed to be the best option for aorta-coronary bypass surgery, as it has the highest patency rate compared to the other grafts. Radial artery and saphenous vein patency rate were also seen to be similar in the long-term.