The impact of ligation of proximal side branches on blood flow and functional status of the internal thoracic artery in coronary anastomosis.

Background: The effect of proximal side branches on the patency of the internal thoracic artery (ITA) is controversial. We used echocardiography and Doppler to verify the effect of ligation of branches on the flow and coronary flow reserve (CFR) of the grafted ITA in patients after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG).

Methods: We prospectively investigated 53 patients with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF >50%) who underwent CABG of the ITA.