Angiographic 5-year follow-up study of right gastroepiploic artery grafts

Background. The right gastroepiploic artery (RGEA) has been used from 1987 in coronary artery bypass grafting in several clinical studies. However, the published 1- to 5-year patency rates have been dependent on the selection of patients for angiography. Methods. In our study, the RGEA was used from March 1987 to May 1990 for coronary artery bypass grafting in 31 consecutive patients, 25 male and 6 female. All but 1 patient had triple-vessel disease, and the mean number of distal anastomoses was 3.9 (range, 2 to 5). Internal thoracic artery grafts were used concomitantly in all patients. Results. One early and two late deaths occurred. All but 1 of the 28 surviving patients underwent clinical and angiographic follow-up examinations 3 months and 5 years after the operation. The 5-year patency of RGEA grafts was 82.1%, with a 95% confidence interval of 63.1% to 93.9%. In 4 of the 5 nonvisualized cases, the recipient coronary artery showed proximal stenosis of up to 70%, allowing substantial competitive flow. The 5-year patency of the RGEA graft was near that of the left internal thoracic artery, at 90.3%, and the right internal thoracic artery, at 94.4%; and superior to the 66.7% patency of venous grafts. Conclusions. At 5-year follow-up, angiography of RGEA grafts showed good function and a smooth lumen, especially if the proximal stenosis was more than 70%.