String-sign in left internal thoracic artery is associated with regression in left main XXXX after coronary artery bypass.

@entity254 @entity1 @entity850 @entity3979
The left internal thoracic artery (LITA) is the conduit of choice for coronary artery bypass (CABG) due to favorable long-term patency. Uncommonly, diffuse narrowing like a string without significant @entity850 of an @entity254 is observed in the LITA graft (called "string sign"). Isolated left main trunk (LMT) diseases were reported to regress in some cases. However, the relationship between "string sign" and the regression of solitary LMT disease remains unknown.We retrospectively studied 40 consecutive @entity1 with isolated @entity850 who underwent CABG using LITA and who underwent angiography before and after operation (31 males, 9 females, mean age, 65.0 years). The @entity1 were divided into 2 groups according to the postoperative angiographic outcomes of the LITA graft: one group included @entity1 with "string sign" (6 @entity1 ), the other group consisted of @entity1 with a patent LITA graft (34 @entity1 ).There were no significant differences in clinical backgrounds between the two groups. The 2 groups showed similar quantitative % @entity3979 of the LMT before operation (77.5% versus 76.8%) and the observation period was similar in both groups. Coronary angiography after CABG revealed that % @entity850 of the LMT in @entity1 with "string sign" was significantly less than that in @entity1 with a patent LITA graft (41.7    26% versus 82.5    11%, P < 0.001). Regression in LMT was significantly more frequently observed in the "string sign group". Furthermore, ostial @entity850 was more frequent in @entity1 with "string sign". "String phenomenon" of the LITA graft is one of the signs related to the regression of @entity850 , and especially in ostial @entity850 of the LMT.
