COMPLEX CORONARY RECONSTRUCTIONS USING TH E INTERNAL THORACIC ARTERY - SURGICAL ANGIOPLASTY TECHNIQUE AND PRELIMINARY-RESULTS

A technique of coronary surgical angioplasty is described. The long ar teriotomy of the coronary artery over the stenosis is closed with the Internal Thoracic Artery (ITA) giving an enlargement patch effect. The majority of the atheromatous plaque is excluded from the lumen of the anastomosis and placed outside the suture line. The origin of the col lateral arteries is pre served in the vascular lumen. The remodeled co ronary artery is composed of a small gutter of native coronary artery and the whole surface of the ITA wall. In some cases, it is useful to associate a limited endarterectomy with the angioplasty. 66 surgical a ngoplasties have been performed in extensive coronary disease. Operati ve mortality was 5.4% with a myocardial infarction rate of 5.4%.