PURPOSE This study reports our midterm results with arteriovenous axillary loop grafts (AVALG) and evaluates their role in construction of vascular access for patients on chronic hemodialysis. METHODS The clinical data of 27 patients who underwent construction of an AVALG for hemodialysis access at our institution between July 2002 and December 2006 were analyzed retrospectively. Outcome meas...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the value of early identification and endovascular treatment of iliac vein compression syndrome (IVCS), with or without deep vein thrombosis (DVT). MATERIALS AND METHODS Three groups of patients, IVCS without DVT (group 1, n = 39), IVCS with fresh thrombosis (group 2, n = 52) and IVCS with non-fresh thrombosis (group 3, n = 34) were detected by Doppler ultrasonography, m...

A best evidence topic in cardiac surgery was written according to a structured protocol. The question addressed was whether the radial artery provides better long-term patency than the saphenous vein. Altogether 379 papers were found using the reported search, of which 12 presented the best evidence to answer the clinical question. The authors, journal, date and country of publication, patient ...

PURPOSE Use of a composite graft combining a polytetrafluoroethylene graft with an autogenous vein is an option for limb salvage in the absence of an adequate single segment vein graft. We aimed to investigate the results of infrainguinal bypass with a composite graft. MATERIALS AND METHODS We retrospectively reviewed 11 infrainguinal arterial bypasses on 11 limbs which underwent surgery from...

Platelet thrombosis, intimal hyperplasia, and the progression of atherosclerosis are the most important factors determining the patency of vein grafts for arterial occlusive disease. Interactions between aggregating platelets and the vessel wall play an important role in all of these processes. The endothelium modulates the underlying vascular smooth muscle by releasing nitric oxide (NO), a pot...

A noninvasive method for determining patency of saphenous vein coronary bypass grafts has been developed in our laboratory. The system consists of a pulsed ultrasonic Doppler, a position-sensing arm for the Doppler transducer, a memory oscilloscope, an electrocardiogram, and strip-chart recorder. Patients are studied with the transducer in the suprasternal notch and intercostal spaces. Wherever...

OBJECTIVES This study defined long-term patency of saphenous vein grafts (SVG) and internal mammary artery (IMA) grafts. BACKGROUND This VA Cooperative Studies Trial defined 10-year SVG patency in 1,074 patients and left IMA patency in 457 patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). METHODS Patients underwent cardiac catheterizations at 1 week and 1, 3, 6, and 10 years after...

PURPOSE To examine the feasibility and clinical outcome of a novel, minimally invasive technique for harvesting the great saphenous vein (GSV) for use in peripheral arterial bypass surgery. METHODS Between May 2001 through March 2003, 27 patients (15 men; mean age 71+/-10 years) underwent extremity bypass procedures for limb salvage (88%) or disabling claudication (12%) using the inversion te...

BACKGROUND Although the internal thoracic artery was proven superior to saphenous vein graft in long-term patency, it is thought to be a more resistive conduit than the vein graft. Moreover, patency studies comparing both left and right internal thoracic arteries have provided results favoring the former. Fractional flow reserve is an established functional index of coronary blood flow. METHO...

OBJECTIVES The C-Port® Distal Anastomosis Systems (Cardica, Inc., Redwood City, CA, USA) demonstrated favourable results in feasibility trials. However, distal vein anastomoses created with the C-Port® or C-Port xA® system have never been compared with hand-sewn distal vein anastomoses. The objective of this study was to compare distal end-to-side anastomoses facilitated with the C-Port xA® Sys...