The Annals of Thoracic Surgery, Vol 31, 569-573, Copyright © 1981 by The Society of Thoracic Surgeons
Aortocoronary Gore-Tex graft: 18-month patency
MN Islam, EA Zikria, ME Sullivan, A Koimattur, WB Ford, SR Samadani and WH Miller
Despite widespread success with Gore-Tex (polytetrafluoroethylene) vascular
grafts in peripheral artery operations, very little use has been made of
this material in aortocoronary bypasses. We present the case of a
61-year-old woman with a 6-month history of angina who was found to have no
suitable saphenous vein available at operation and who therefore underwent
Gore-Tex bypass grafting to the right coronary artery. Coronary angiograms
made 6 months and 18 months postoperatively showed patency of the 6 mm
Gore-Tex replacement graft as well as the internal mammary artery placed to
the left anterior descending coronary artery. Although frequent follow-up
and close observation are recommended in patients with aortocoronary
Gore-Tex grafting, the unique design of this material has made it the best
alternative for synthetic coronary bypass conduit in the absence of the
saphenous veins, particularly when these veins are found to be inadequate
only at the time of operation.