The estimation of the patency of bypass grafts after A-C bypass by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)

Coronary angiography (CAG) or CT scan has been used to estimate the patency of the bypass grafts after A-C bypass. However, there are some problems to evaluate by these methods. Therefore we began to estimate the patency of bypass grafts postoperatively using the non-invasive technique, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The estimation of the patency of 36 bypass grafts in 18 cases which were taken mean 6.5 months after A-C bypass was done in comparison with CAG. On the other hand the patency of 7 grafts in 4 cases which were taken mean 7 years after surgery was also evaluated in comparison with ECG and clinical signs. Thirty out of 36 grafts in the early group were patent in the examination of MRI, while 33 grafts were patent by the CAG. Accuracy of the patency by MRI was 91 %. On the other hand, 5 grafts were patent in the late group, but 2 grafts were not identified by means of MRI. To evaluate the patency of bypass grafts after A-C bypass, MRI is a non-invasive and available procedure. MRI should be recommended to make follow up study for the patients who underwent A-C bypass. (author)