[Arteria gastroepiploica dextra in coronary surgery. Complete revascularization in angina pectoris]

We have used the right gastroepiploic artery as a viable jump graft to the distal right coronary artery in two patients. The first patient was a 37 year-old man with recurrent angina after coronary bypass surgery with three vein grafts eight years previously. The second patient was a man aged 45 with angina in New York Heart Association Class III to IV. In both cases coronary angiography revealed severe triple vessel disease with multiple proximal and distal occlusions or stenosis. Both internal mammary arteries were also used in the two patients to revascularize the LAD and circumflex systems. Thus, a complete revascularization was achieved by use of only viable arteries as conduits. Both patients recovered well and were free from angina. At present only the first patient has had a postoperative angiogram, which showed good patency of the gastroepiploic artery jump graft. If the long-term patency of this type of graft is similar to that of the internal mammary arteries, it is another suitable arterial conduit for revascularization of the ischemic myocardium.