One-Year Postoperative Angiographic Results and Reopening of Occluded SV Composite Grafts
Of the 55 occluded SV anastomoses on early postoperative angiograms, 48 SV anastomoses in 46 patients were re-evaluated by 1-year postoperative angiography and 14 SV conduits (29.2%) of 14 patients had become patent (Figure 3). The coronary artery territories where reopening of the SV conduits occurred were 11 RCA (8 posterior descending arteries, 3 right posterolateral arteries) and 3 LCX (obtuse marginal arteries) territories. Reopening of the SV conduits occurred at the terminal (n=11) or sequential (n=3) anastomosis of SV composite grafts. Reopening of occluded SV conduits occurred more frequently in NT SV with pedicle tissue than in NT SV without pedicle tissue, with marginal significance (45.0% [9/20] versus 17.9% [5/28];P =0.057). When we examined the preoperative and 1-year postoperative angiograms, progression of native target coronary artery disease was found in 4 reopened SV territories and 6 persistently occluded SV territories, respectively (35.7% [5/14] versus 17.6% [6/34]; P =0.258). Of the 13 patients who had reopened conduits in the 1-year angiograms, 6 patients were followed up more than 5 years and underwent the 5-year angiographic studies, which revealed patency maintained in all 6 reopened SV conduits.