Systemic and local saphenous vein graft thrombolysis using a tissue plasminogen activator

Many studies are currently evaluating the potential role of thrombolytic therapy in patients with ischemic syndromes who have undergone previous coronary artery bypass grafting. Limited experience has been published regarding the use of local urokinase and streptokinase infusions and the use of systemic recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator as thrombolytic agents in patients with previous coronary artery bypass surgery. To date, however, there has been no published experience regarding the use of recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator (rt-PA) either systemically or locally in the post-bypass patient where angiographic demonstration of aortocoronary saphenous vein graft obstruction was available pre- and post-therapy. Similarly there has been no previous report of the use of rt-PA infused locally to recanalize an occluded aortocoronary saphenous vein graft. This report describes successful thrombolysis and subsequent balloon angioplasty of saphenous vein grafts with angiographically documented thrombus using systemic and local rt-PA infusion.