Another Autograft for Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting

To assess the possibility of using the descending branch of the lateral circumflex femoral artery as a free arterial autograft for coronary artery bypass grafting, the anatomy of this artery and its surrounding structures were studied in 19 cadavers. The artery was found to be situated in the groove between the rectus femoris and the vastus intermedius muscles. The mean length of the arterial trunk was 12 ± 2.36 cm (range, 9.2 to 15.1 cm). The diameter was 2.7 ± 0.35 mm at the origin and 2.2 ± 0.28 mm at the terminal end. The reflection of this artery on the body surface was easy to locate. It was concluded that the descending branch of the lateral circumflex femoral artery could be considered as a potential conduit for coronary revascularization.