Objectives: The radial artery is used as a second arterial conduit in coronary\nartery bypass surgery. However, concerns exist about the thermal injury incurred\nto the radial artery during endoscopic harvest. We sought to assess\nthis effect both histologically and radiologically. Methods: From February\n2015 to March 2016, 50 consecutive patients undergoing coronary artery bypass\nsurgery utilizing endoscopically harvested radial artery were prospectively\nstudied. Computerized tomography coronary angiography scan was\nperformed randomly in 8 patients who also had their respective radial artery\nanalyzed histologically at the time of harvest. Standard coronary angiography\nwas also performed in 4 additional patients driven by symptoms recurrence.\nResults: All patients were available for follow up at 1 year following the surgery.\nThere was no mortality during follow-up. Three patients (6%) developed\ntransient complications in the harvest arm which resolved. All radial\narteries were patent on follow-up imaging. Histological examination showed\nintegrity of the arterial wall, intact endothelial lining, patent lumens and no\nsignificant pathological abnormalities.Conclusion: The use of endoscopic\nradial artery harvest was associated with few self-limiting morbidities and excellent\npatency rates. In addition, there was no evidence of any thermal or\ntraumatic injuries sustained to the radial arteries when examined histologically.\nThe use of endoscopically harvested radial arteries appears safe with\nexcellent results.
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