ABSTRACT

The success of myocardial revascularization is closely associated with the patency rate of conduits used for coronary bypass surgery. Radiyal artery is one of the arterial grafts used, and it is proposed as an alternative arterial graft because of its good mid-term results and superiority of flow characteristics. Between January 2003 and December 2005 a total of 1155 patients underwent aorta-coronary bypass surgery and in 215 out of these patients radial artery was harvested and used as a conduit for at least one of the coronary arteries. In 7 patients (3.2%) radial artery was used in reoperations. Complete arterial revascularization was performed in a total of 119 patients (55.3%). In other 96 patients at least one venous graft was used in combination with arterial grafts. No in-hospital mortality was observed in this series. Long-term mortality was observed in 1 patient (0.4%). The patients were followed up for a mean period of 16.4±9.7 months. In the short term 10 patients underwent a control coronary angiography, and all anastomoses including radial artery were found to be patent. In the mid-term 54 patients underwent a control coronary angiography, and radial artery grafts were patent in 50 of these patients (92.5%). We think that radial artery is an important graft that can be used with the aims of complete or multiple arterial vascularization in coronary bypass surgery.