Introduction
Left internal thoracic artery to left anterior descending artery (LITA-LADA)
grafting has become a fundamental part of coronary artery bypass grafting
(CABG). This grafting has led to an increased use of other arterial
conduits, of which the radial artery (RA) is the most popular. Whether RA
can have the same long-term patency as LITA is controversial. The objective
of this study is to access the long-term clinical follow-up and, when
available, the patency rate of RA grafts.
Methods
Twenty-six patients from a previous study with critical stenosis in all
target vessels underwent complete arterial CABG with LITA and RA grafts from
1996 to 2003. They all underwent midterm multidetector computed tomography
after surgery with the association of at least one patent LITA and one
patent RA graft.
Results
Twelve patients (46%) are alive with no angina symptoms. Six patients
underwent a second image exam 12 to 16 years (average of 14 years) after
surgery, with a total of six LITA-LADA and 14 RA grafts with 100% patency
rate. Clinical follow-up five to 23 years after surgery (average of 14
years) showed only one death 12 years after surgery related to coronary
artery disease (CAD) (3,8%). Another 12 patients died of non-CAD.
Conclusion
Patients with midterm associated LITA and RA patent grafts show similar
optimal long-term patency rates of both types of grafts with excellent
clinical outcome.