In the surgical treatment of coronary artery disease, the graft of choice is the internal mammary artery (IMA), used in our Service in 93% of the patients younger than 65 years old, during the last year. When, by anatomic reasons, it is not possible the "in situ" use, we have employed the free graft of IMA in the aorto-coronary position. Between April 1986 and September 1988, 58 patients, who underwent surgical myocardial revascularization, we treated with this procedure. Fifty five (95%) were males and the mean age was 49 years old, ranging from 35 to 69. The preoperative clinical findings were: stable angina 43%, unstable angina 36%, post-infarction angina 17%, and 4% were asymptomatics. We performed 179 grafts (3 grafts/patient) with: saphenous vein 67, "in situ" IMA 53, IMA free graft 59. The arteries treated with free grafts were: right coronary 18, circunflex marginal branch 17, diagonal 10, left anterior descending 10, "en passant" to LAD-Dgl 2, and double free graft to LAD and Dgl 1. Perioperative myocardial infarction diagnosed by electrocardiographic changes occurred in one circunstance (1,7%). Two patients (3,4%) died during the hospitalization. One late death occurred in the second postoperative year due to a sudden death. Between 55 survivors, 51 cases (92,7%) were analized and 94% were asymptomatic in a two year-follow up period.
internal mammary artery; myocardial revascularization