Thrombosed, XXXX in saphenous vein coronary artery bypass grafts: ten years' experience.

@entity1 @entity715 @entity204 @entity1856
During the past decade the number of @entity1 undergoing saphenous vein coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) has increased worldwide. With a rate of late graft occlusion approximating 4% each year, the number of @entity1 at risk for late graft occlusion continues to increase. Whereas in 1976 only 0.8% of the CABGs performed at our institution were reoperations for occluded grafts, by 1985 repeat procedures comprised 12.4% of the CABGs performed. Excised, occluded saphenous vein grafts from 52 of 119 (44%) of these @entity1 showed @entity715 superimposed on @entity1856 . Ten autopsy @entity1 showed similar lesions in their occluded grafts. The lesion was present in grafts excised as early as 3 years and as late as 14 years after bypass surgery; most occurred 5 to 10 years after implantation. Neither age at first bypass, sex, nor coronary artery bypassed permitted prediction of the occurrence of the lesion. Thrombosed, ruptured @entity1856 is a common, clinically significant mechanism of late graft occlusion. It is associated with recurrent symptoms that necessitate repeat revascularization and may result in @entity204 . The lesion may also be amenable to thrombolytic therapy, angioplasty, or both.
