Abstract
Occlusion of saphenous vein grafts is a major problem after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Five to ten percent of patients undergo repeat CABG, mostly because of vein graft occlusion.1,2 The understanding of the pathogenesis of saphenous vein graft occlusion is extrapolated from studies on the atherogenesis in arteries. In the previous chapter the acute histopathological changes were described occurring in human saphenous vein grafts in the first week after implantation. A significant loss of medial smooth muscle cells (SMC) was demonstrated, especially in the circular layer of the media. The extensive loss of endothelial cells was a second remarkable feature. We were interested in the further evolution of these lesions and therefore removed the occluded vein grafts during repeat CABG for further study. Of specific interest were the integrity of the endothelium, the cell composition of the thickened intima and the repair of the media.
Adapted with permission of Blackwell Science Ltd from Kockx et al. Histopathology 1994; 25:365-371.
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© 1995 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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Kockx, M.M. (1995). The Thickened Intima in Long-Standing Aorto-Coronary Saphenous Vein Grafts. In: Spontaneous and Induced Intima Formation in Blood Vessels. Medical Intelligence Unit. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-22430-4_8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-22430-4_8
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
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