THE GASTROEPIPLOIC ARTERY COMPARED WITH THE INTERNAL MAMMARY ARTERY FOR AORTOCORONARY BYPASS

The internal mammary artery (IMA) has become the conduit of choice for aortocoronary bypass. When it cannot be used, the gastrepiploic artery (GEA) has become a possible alternative. We have studied the vascular permeability of the arterial wall in 26 patients, 11 GEA and 15 IMA, comparing the concentrations of albumin-I-125 after incubation for 2 hours. The two groups had been incubated in acetylcholine (ACH) 10(-5) M for two hours to evaluate endothelial cell function. There was no difference in the uptake of albumin-I125 between IMA and GEA. After incubation in ACH, the uptake increased significantly in IMA, but not in GEA. Our results suggest that GEA has biochemical properties similar to those of IMA for aortocoronary bypass.