Long-term patency of the right internal mammary artery used as a coronary bypass conduit and the effect of the recipient vessel

This study reviewed our experience with the long-term patency of the right internal mammary coronary artery (RIMA) bypass graft in 58 patients over 1 year. Thirty-one percent (n = 18) of patients had obstructive lesions in the RIMA. In vessels with any lesion, the percent stenosis was 85.5% (range 30% to 100%). Eleven of 38 patients (28%) with right-sided recipient vessels had significant stenosis, whereas 21% of left-sided recipient vessels had significant stenosis of the RIMA. When compared with left internal mammary artery grafting, the long-term patency of the RIMA was lower than expected and warrants larger prospective studies.