The radial artery (RA) was used as a conduit for coronary artery bypass many years ago. Some years later, the graft was abandoned due to of a high incidence of narrowing or occlusion. The advent of new antispastic drugs led us to reinvestigate the use of the RA for coronary artery bypass grafting. Since May 1994,30 patients underwent myocardial revascularization using 31 RA grafts (1 patient received 2 grafts) at our Service. The left internal thoracic artery (LITA) was concomitantly used in all (100%) patients, the right internal thoracic artery (RITA) in 9 (30%) patients and a saphenous vein graft in 24 (80%) cases. A mean of 3.5 graft per patient was performed. The RA was anastomosed to the diagonal (n=10/33,3%), circunflex (n=8/26.6%), right coronary (n=8/26.6%), diagonalis (n=4/13.3%) and anterior interventricular artery (n=1/3.3%). Two (6.6%) patients presented for redo coronary surgery and 14 (46%) had prior myocardial infarction. Two patients underwent associated ventricular aneurismectomy and 3 coronary endarterectomy. The left RA was used in 28 (93.4%) patients, and the right RA in the 2 (6.6%) remaining. The RA was used as a free graft. The proximal end of the RA was directly anastomosed to the ascending aorta using a 7-0 Polypropylene suture. After complete, the aortic clamp was removed and the blood flow throught the RA was tested. The distal anastomosis was then performed using a running 7-0 Polypropylene suture. All patientes received diltiazem started intraoperatively and continued at the follow-up period, when the AAS was associated. There was no mortality in this series. Angiographic controls were obtained in 7 (23.3%) patients before the Hospital discharge, with all patent grafts without any abnormality. We have not observed any ischemic symptoms of the hand in this series. We believe that the RA is a valuable alternative procedure to the myocardial revascularization, specially after the advent of new antispastic drugs. However, a larger study including late control angiograms is still required to establish definitive conclusions.
Radial artery; Myocardial revascularization; Myocardial revascularization