How to use the left internal thoracic artery which has been damaged during harvesting?

Abstract

The established superiority of the internal thoracic artery as a coronary arterial conduit has led to its mandatory use in coronary artery bypass grafting surgery. Therefore, the damage of the internal thoracic artery during harvesting is an abysmal complication, after which the conduit is usually discarded. An alternative approach is presented here, which has allowed us to use the distal two thirds of the proximally damaged left internal thoracic artery as an in situ (with retrograde blood supply from superior epigastric and musculophrenic arteries), reversed arterial conduit to revascularize the left anterior descending coronary artery.