[The internal mammary artery binds more 125I-albumin than the aorta].

The internal mammary artery is currently the arterial replacement of choice for coronary artery bypass grafts. The authors studied the permeability of the vessel wall of the internal mammary artery and the ascending aorta in 12 patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafts by comparing the 125I-albumin binding profiles. Their results suggest that albumin crosses the internal mammary artery more easily than in the aorta.