HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Personal Folders Download to citation manager Author home page(s): Herbert O. Vetter Permission Requests Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Vetter, H. O. Articles by Cramer, B. M. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Vetter, H. O. Articles by Cramer, B. M. Related Collections Coronary disease Minimally invasive surgery

Ann Thorac Surg 2001;71:1229-1232
© 2001 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons

---

Original article: cardiovascular

Contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography of mammary artery grafts after minimally invasive coronary bypass surgery

^a Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Heart Center/Klinikum Wuppertal, University of Witten/Herdecke, Wuppertal, Germany
^b Department of Radiology, Heart Center/Klinikum Wuppertal, University of Witten/Herdecke, Wuppertal, Germany

Accepted for publication October 18, 2000.

Address for reprint requests to Dr Vetter, Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Heart Center, Arrenberger St 20, 42217 Wuppertal, Germany

Background. The aim of the study was to investigate the application of the contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography (CE-MRA) for the visualization of left internal mammary artery (LIMA) bypass.

Methods. A total of 30 patients with LIMA bypass (22 men, 8 women, 35 to 77 years) received a CE-MRA 4 to 20 days after surgery. The non–ECG-triggered CE-MRA was performed during expiration using a body array coil at a 1.5 Tesla scanner (Magnetom-Vision). A three-dimensional gradient-echo sequence with slice interpolation technique was applied. For the three-dimensional visualization, single coronal slices were postprocessed with maximal intensity projection. Of 30 patients 22 agreed to a comparative coronary angiography.

Results. Five bypasses were identified up to the end-to-side anastomosis. A total of 80% of the bypass course was detectable in 13 patients and 60% in 11 patients. In two LIMA bypasses only 30% of the proximal part could be viewed; one was found by conventional coronary angiography to be occluded. The other conventional coronary angiography showed the LIMA bypass to be patent.

Conclusions. The complete course of the LIMA bypass to the left anterior descending coronary artery can be visualized by the MRA technique. The most reliable imaging of the distal anastomosis can be realized by reducing the negative influence of the beating heart.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				M. Yamamoto, F. Kimura, H. Niinami, Y. Suda, E. Ueno, and Y. Takeuchi Noninvasive Assessment of Off-Pump Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery by 16-Channel Multidetector-Row Computed Tomography. Ann. Thorac. Surg., March 1, 2006; 81(3): 820 - 827. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. Dewey, A. Lembcke, C. Enzweiler, B. Hamm, and P. Rogalla Isotropic half-millimeter angiography of coronary artery bypass grafts with 16-slice computed tomography Ann. Thorac. Surg., March 1, 2004; 77(3): 800 - 804. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				B. Giorgi, S. Dymarkowski, F. Maes, M. Kouwenhoven, and J. Bogaert Improved Visualization of Coronary Arteries Using a New Three-Dimensional Submillimeter MR Coronary Angiography Sequence with Balanced Gradients Am. J. Roentgenol., October 1, 2002; 179(4): 901 - 910. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]