Coronary Venous Arterialization: Acute Hemodynamic, Metabolic, and Chronic Anatomical Observations

Cardiac venous arterialization in acute myocardial infarction: how great is the benefit?

“…Retroperfusion through the coronary sinus or arterialization of selected cardiac veins has been performed in experimental animal models (and even in a few human patients), mainly during the 1970s. Despite the obsolete diagnostic methods used, several scientists have provided good evidence that, in the acute phase of MI, these techniques are able to perfuse the myocardium, maintain metabolism, limit infarct size and maintain left ventricular function [9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16]. After the 1970s, research on cardiac venous arterialization was much reduced and only scarce literature can be found, probably as a result of the success of the two newly developed techniques, namely angioplasty and surgical bypass [8,[17][18][19][20][21][22].…”

“…(iii) We have applied several more accurate diagnostic examinations to evaluate the benefits of cardiac venous arterialization. Thus, unlike previous studies, quantitative analysis of left ventricular function and precise evaluation of the reduction in infarct size was made possible [9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16]. (iv) Our team employed up-to-date anaesthetic agents and surgical equipment.…”

Correction of a saphenous vein graft to coronary vein anastamosis by selective retrograde coil‐induced occlusion to arterialize the native vein

“…This approach is particularly intriguing when disease is diffuse in the coronary artery and thus suboptimal for receiving a bypass graft. The feasibility of using coronary veins for myocardial revascularization was first reported in animal experiments and eventually in humans in the 1970s and has been reviewed [5, 7–14]. Limitations of the procedure included residual shunt flow and fibrous proliferation at the anastamosis and elsewhere in the native vein.…”

Selective arterialization of a cardiac vein in a model of cardiac microangiopathy and macroangiopathy in sheep

“…In addition to these new procedures, the efficiency of which will have to be investigated in long-term trials, we think that some patients might profit from the revival of an "old" method: retrograde venous revascularization. All previous animal models [6][7][8][9][10][11][12]14,15 that systematically examined arterialization of a cardiac vein imitated only the macroangiopathy of a coronary artery. Therefore, we investigated the efficiency of a coronary venous bypass graft under the conditions of a combination of cardiac microangiopathy with a significant macroangiopathic stenosis of a coronary artery, which is frequently found in diabetic angiopathy.…”

“…The results of experiments in animal models and outcome of follow-up examinations of patients who experienced venous revascularization were as controversial as the opinions of surgeons about this method. [6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15] However, some patients who are not eligible for coronary artery bypass grafting may be suitable for venous revascularization. Therefore, in this acute study we created a coronary microangiopathy combined with the conditions of a coronary macroangiopathy to investigate the benefit of the arterialization of a cardiac vein under these circumstances, which has not been examined before (as a model for a patient with small-vessel disease and additional proximal stenosis).…”