Remote patency of aortocoronary bypass grafts after endoscopic and conventional great saphenous vein harvesting

Aim. To compare patency of aortocoronary bypass grafts in remote period after endoscopic and conventional (open) great saphenous vein harvesting. To analyze the patency of aortocoronary bypass grafts after endoscopic vein harvesting from calf and thigh.

Methods. The study involved 170 patients who underwent elective isolated coronary artery bypass grafting. Treatment results were evaluated in two prospectively formed groups: endoscopic (85 patients) and open (85 people) vein harvesting. Endoscopic vein harvesting was performed both from the calf and from the thigh through popliteal access using endoscopic system Vasoview 6.0. Patency of autovenous aortocoronary grafts was studied in 2.6±1.17 years after surgery using 64-slice contrast-enhanced MDCT or traditional angiography. Angiographic follow-up covered 76 patients with endoscopic vein harvesting and 79 patients with open vein harvesting.

Results. The studied groups did not differ in the frequency of detection of occluded, stenotic and fully patent autovenous aortocoronary bypass grafts (p=0.841). In endoscopic vein harvesting group frequency of autovenous aortocoronary bypass grafts occlusion was 25.7%, in the group of open vein harvesting - 25.1% (p=0.984). There was no difference in the patency of internal thoracic artery grafts to the left anterior descending artery (p=0.227), and freedom from adverse cardiac events (p=0.342). Occlusion of autovenous grafts after endoscopic harvesting from the calf developed less frequently than after endoscopic harvesting from the thigh (15.1 vs. 34.6%; p=0.013). Grafts after endoscopic harvesting in the knee region occluded most often (41.9%). Patency of aortocoronary bypass grafts after open vein harvesting was not dependent on the area of the vein harvesting (p=0.900).

Conclusion. Endoscopic vein harvesting does not compromise the patency of aortocoronary bypass graft and does not increase the risk of its occlusion; endoscopic harvesting of the veins from the calf improves indicators of aortocoronary grafts patency and reduces the risk of graft failure (odds ratio 0.3; 95% confidence interval 0.14-0.8; p = 0.013).