Progression of obstructive coronary artery disease after implantation of aorto-coronary saphenous vein bypass grafts

Nineteen subjects with a total of 33 aorto-coronary saphenous vein bypass grafts were subjected to coronary and bypass graft angiography an average of 102 days after operation. There was a significant progression of coronary artery disease in both bypassed and nonbypassed coronary arteries. Net progression of disease was similar in both bypassed (16 ± 12 per cent) and nonbypassed (12 ± 24 per cent) coronary arteries (p > 0.4). There was no significant difference between the mean net progression of disease in coronary arteries with patent grafts (16 ± 12 per cent) and those arteries with nonpatent grafts (16 ± 13 per cent) (p > 0.8). We conclude that the progression of coronary arterial disease in patients subjected to the saphenous vein bypass procedures is a manifestation of the natural history of coronary artery disease and is rarely influenced per se by graft implantation.