[EC-IC bypass surgery using a long vein graft--reconstructive procedures for the occluded long vein grafts]

EC-IC bypass using a long vein graft has an advantage creating a large amount of blood flow immediately after the anastomosis, but on the other hand, disadvantage of relatively frequent incidence of the vein graft occlusion. In this report, we present three kinds of reconstructive operative procedures for the stenotic or occluded long vein grafts. Type A: A long vein graft bypass between external carotid and posterior cerebral artery was found occluded intraoperatively by the thrombosis occurred where the vein graft was injured during harvesting. Reconstruction was made simply by resecting the occluded segment of the graft and end-to-end suturing. Type B: A long vein graft used in subclavian artery-middle cerebral artery bypass was occluded three days postoperatively at the supraclavicular fossa by bleeding from the anastomosis site. The vein graft was found compressed and thrombosed. We reconstructed the occluded bypass by resecting the occluded supraclavicular segment and interposing a short vein graft with end-to-end anastomosis. Then, thrombectomy of the remaining vein graft was followed. Type C: A long vein graft used in external carotid-middle cerebral artery bypass stenosed at the anastomosis site with the external carotid artery a day after the operation. The stenotic bypass was successfully reconstructed by bridging a new short vein graft from another portion of the external carotid artery on the long vein graft distal to the stenotic site. All the long vein grafts we have done reconstructive surgery have been working well one to four years follow-up periods. So, we conclude that whenever a long vein graft occludes it should be reconstructed promptly before the vein graft becomes necrotic.