Coronary Artery Graft Disease, Softcover reprint of the original 1st ed. 1994 Mechanisms and Prevention

In patients with coronary artery disease, surgical revascu- larization with arterial or venous bypass grafts not only relieves symptoms, but also prolongs life. The result of such interventions, however, is frequently impaired by graft dysfunction and occlusion. This monograph highlights the clinical importance of coronary artery bypass graft disease and, in particular, the use of modern diagnostic techniques to assess graft structure and function. The molecular and cellular mechanisms of coronary bypass graft disease are ex- tensively discussed with several chapters devoted to prophy- lactic medical therapy. The indication, technique and results of reinterventions with balloon angioplasty, reope- ration or transplantation in patients with graft failure are also reviewed.

The Problem.- The Natural History of Saphenous Vein Grafts.- Risks and Prediction of Adverse after Coronary Bypass Grafting based on a Single Center Experience.- Mechanisms of Plaque Formation and Occlusion in Venous Coronary Bypass Grafts.- Surgical Aspects.- Arterial and Venous Coronary Bypass Grafts: Surgical Techniques and Outcome.- Newer Arterial Coronary Bypass Conduits: Right Gastroepiploic and Epigastric Artery.- Diagnosis of Graft Failure.- The Role of Radionuclide Imaging in the Diagnosis of Coronary Bypass Graft Failure.- Coronary Artery Graft Disease: Diagnosis of Graft Failure by Magnetic Resonance Imaging.- Positron Emission Tomography: Evaluation of Myocardial Blood Flow and Viability Before and Following Coronary Revascularization.- Transcutaneous Assessment of Blood Flow in Internal Thoracic Artery to Coronary Artery Grafts.- Coronary Angiography in the Diagnosis of Graft Failure.- Left Ventricular Function: Systolic and Diastolic Alterations.- Biological Characteristics and Coronary Bypass Grafts.- Endothelium and Vascular Smooth Muscle Function of Coronary Bypass Grafts.- Smooth Muscle Cell Proliferation Responses in Organ Cultures of Human Saphenous Vein.- Chronic Changes in Venous Grafts After Implantation.- Pharmacological Intervention.- Lipids and Lipid-Lowering Drugs and Graft Function.- Treatment of Severe Hypercholesterolemia in Patients with Coronary Heart Disease by Means of Lipoprotein Apheresis.- Antiplatelet Drugs.- Anticoagulants and Antiplatelet Drugs to Prevent Aortocoronary Vein Graft Occlusion.- Calcium Antagonists in Patients Undergoing Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery.- Revascularization Strategies.- Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty in Patients with Failed Bypass Graft Surgery.- Intraluminal Stents in Coronary Bypass Grafts.- Reoperation: Techniques and Choice of Conduits.- Cardiac Transplantation for Ischaemic Heart Disease.