Saphenous vein graft overview


 * Associate Editor(s)-In-Chief: ; Jason C. Choi, M.D.; Xin Yang, M.D.

Overview
Since Rene Favaloro first described it in 1967, coronary artery revascularization with saphenous veins (saphenous vein grafts or SVGs) has become a surgical standard for treatment of coronary artery disease. When a native coronary artery is obstructed, the sutured graft provides a connection between the aorta and the coronary artery beyond the area of obstruction. The procedure is repeated on all the coronary artery segments that are significantly diseased.

The vein is often removed by cardiac surgeons and used for autotransplantation in coronary artery bypass operations, when arterial grafts are not available or many grafts are required, such as in a triple bypass or quadruple bypass.