[Current trends in the development of coronary surgery]

The authors conducted a comparative study of various methods of coronary shunting by means of microsurgical techniques in 240 patients who were operated on for ischemic heart disease. Total myocardial revascularization, including arteries measuring less than 1.5 mm in diameter and vessels in the zones of cardiosclerosis, was found to be more effective than the techniques of shunting of only the affected major branches. The advantages of a mammary-coronary shunt over anauto- logous venous shunt in reconstruction of coronary arteries under unfavourable hemodynamic conditions are demonstrated. It is also shown that multiple bi-mammary-coronary shunting of the branches of the left coronary artery is a promising method.