Myocardial revascularization with the lateral costal artery.

The lateral costal artery is a branch of the internal mammary artery that occurs in 27% of cadaver series. The similarities to the internal mammary artery and its easy accessibility would suggest its use as a bypass conduit for coronary revascularization. We describe the harvesting and utilization of this artery as an in situ coronary bypass graft, and we have initiated a study examining the exact frequency of this anomalous vessel. The availability of the lateral costal artery either unilaterally or bilaterally adds another dimension to the concept of complete arterial conduit myocardial revascularization.