Coronary angioplasty in patients with prior coronary artery bypass surgery: all prior coronary artery bypass surgery patients and patients more than 5 years after coronary bypass surgery

Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) has been used successfully in patients who have had prior bypass surgery (CABG) as a means of revascularizing the myocardium and avoiding repeat myocardial revascularization. However, angioplasty has been considered inappropriate as a means of dilating old saphenous vein grafts. The first section of this article details the authors' experience with PTCA of prior CABG patients, and the second section discusses the results of PTCA in the subset of patients 5 or more years after their last coronary bypass surgery. These data may make individuals rethink the appropriateness of PTCA in old saphenous vein grafts.