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Ann Thorac Surg 2007;84:359
© 2007 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons

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Correspondence

Patent Internal Thoracic Grafts and Reoperations

Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical School, PO Box 12000, Jerasulem, 91120 Israel

(Email: eamir{at}md.huji.ac.il).

To the Editor:

I was pleased to see that a technique published 12 years ago [1] has been reinvented with satisfactory results [2]. As an author I have always been careful with making a statement that mine was the first report on anything. As a reviewer I find such a statement challenging and try to confirm its validity. In our report [1] we described a number of measures to be taken during sternal re-entry, including Doppler flow detection of the internal thoracic artery grafts. This was summarized in the yearbook of 1994 as one of the more important and original contributions for that year. It was cited several times since then, including two references (ie, Refs 2, 4) in the recent report from James Cook University Hospital [2]. Adhering to all details suggested in our approach to re-sternotomy in the presence of patent grafts in the past 15 years in hundreds of patients eliminated the catastrophic consequences resulting from graft injury. However the alternative options now available for aortic valve replacement, such as transarterial or transapical deployment of a catheter-mounted tissue valve, or construction of apico-descending aorta conduit, are likely to replace the conventional surgical procedure. When improved to overcome present limitations, these technologies will allow the avoidance of re-sternotomy altogether.

	References

Top References

 

1. Elami A, Laks H, Merin G. Technique for reoperative median sternotomy in the presence of a patent left internal mammary artery graft J Cardiac Surg 1994;9:123-127.[Medline]
2. Lotto AA, Owens WA. Intraoperative Doppler velocity measurements to locate patent ITA grafts at reoperation Ann Thorac Surg 2006;82:1108-1110.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

This article has been cited by other articles:

				A. A. Lotto and W. A. Owens Reply Ann. Thorac. Surg., July 1, 2007; 84(1): 359 - 360. [Full Text] [PDF]

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted 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): Amir Elami Permission Requests Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Elami, A. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Elami, A. Related Collections Coronary disease Related Article