Role of electron-beam tomography in diagnosis of patency of aortocoronary and mammarocoronary bypasses (by 3-year follow-up data)

Aim. To assess informative value of electron-beam tomography (EBT) and to compare dynamics of occlusive defects of autovenous and autoarterial shunts. Material and methods. 36 patients with coronary heart disease entered the study. All the patients have undergone coronary artery bypass operation and/or mammarocoronary bypass operation (CABO and MCBO, respectively). For three years after the surgery the patients were annually examined with EBT-shuntography. The contrast agent was injected intravenously in a dose 135-140 ml with the injection rate 3.5-4.0 ml/s. In addition to EBT-shuntography, selective x-ray contrast shuntography was conducted one year after CABO. Results. By a comparative analysis, EBT sensitivity and specificity in examination of autovenous shunts patency is 100%, in assessment of patency of mammary shunts is 93 and 100%, respectively. The 3-year retrospective analysis has revealed occlusions in 17.1% venous shunts and 2.7% arterial ones in the first year after CABO and MCBO, 5.2 and 2.8% in the second year, respectively, and in 1.8% venous shunts in the third year. Conclusion. EBT-shuntography is a highly informative non-invasive method of diagnosis of aortocoronary shunts patency.