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(Circulation. 2002;105:397.)
© 2002 American Heart Association, Inc.

Images in Cardiovascular Medicine

Sequential Saphenous Vein Coronary Bypass Graft With Patency of 22 Years

Qiang Li, MD, DSc; Francisco Fuentes, MD

From the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.

Correspondence to Francisco Fuentes, MD, Department of Medicine/Division of Cardiology, The University of Texas, Houston Medical School, 6431 Fannin, MSB 1.246, Houston, Texas 77030. E-mail Francisco.Fuentes@uth.tmc.edu

A 76-year-old woman who had a coronary artery bypass using a sequential saphenous vein graft to the diagonal branch and the left anterior descending artery (LAD) remained free of chest pain for 22 years. She was recently diagnosed with critical aortic valve stenosis. Cardiac catheterization showed the sequential saphenous vein graft was patent. The size of the graft was remodeled according to the volume of blood flow. The distal part of the graft, from the anastomosis of the diagonal branch to the LAD, carries blood to the LAD only. The proximal part of the graft, from the aorta to the diagonal branch, carries blood to both the diagonal branch and the LAD. Consequently, the diameter of the graft in the proximal part is larger than in the distal part (Figure).

View larger version (135K): [in this window] [in a new window]   The patent sequential saphenous vein graft to the diagonal branch and the left anterior descending artery.

Footnotes

The editor of Images in Cardiovascular Medicine is Hugh A. McAllister, Jr, MD, Chief, Department of Pathology, St Luke’s Episcopal Hospital and Texas Heart Institute, and Clinical Professor of Pathology, University Of Texas Medical School and Baylor College of Medicine.

Circulation encourages its readers to submit cardiovascular images to the Circulation Editorial Office, St Luke’s Episcopal Hospital/Texas Heart Institute, 6720 Bertner Ave, MCI-267, Houston, TX 77030.