Late patency of the left internal thoracic artery graft in patients with and without previous successful percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty

Abstract

The aim of this study was to compare early and late graft patency in patients with and without previous successful PTCA. Of the 70 patients who received both early and late follow-up angiography, 13 patients who had received successful PTCA at the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) before CABG (group I) and 31 patients who had not received preoperative PTCA in any vessel (group II) were retrospectively reviewed. There were no significant differences in patient characteristics including major coronary risk factors. The mean duration between the operation and control angiography was 35+/-23 months in group I and 36+/-19 months in group II (P=0.90). Occlusions of the LITA graft were observed in four patients of group I and in four patients of group II. Cumulative patencies of the LITA graft were 54% in group I and 83% in group II (P=0.12). The late patency rate of the LITA graft bypassed to the LAD in patients that received previous successful PTCA in the coronary artery tended to be lower than in patients without previous PTCA. This result should be confirmed by further prospective studies.