Recruitable patency of the internal mammary artery graft

A 46-year-old man underwent two coronary bypass operations and three percutaneous interventions over a period of 18 years. A non-functioning internal mammary artery (IMA) graft, was observed shortly after the second surgery. This graft was anastomosed to the left anterior descending (LAD) that had adequate flow from an older vein graft placed during the first surgery. Over the ensuing 8 years, the IMA graft regained patency after progressive occlusive disease in the competing vein graft.