Aorto-coronary saphenous vein bypass graft. Peroperative flow studies related to late graft patency.

In aorto-coronary saphenous bypass grafts, peroperative flows measured by electromagnetic flowmetry were studied at rest and after injection of papaverine to reduce vasomotor tone. The results were correlated to graft patency approximately 14 months after operation and showed that patent grafts had greater flow values, both at rest and after papaverine, than grafts which were occluded at the re-examination. There was, however, considerable overlapping between the two groups, and no clear distinction between flow values in successful and unsuccessful grafts either at rest or after papaverine was found. No correlations were demonstrated between peroperative graft flow on one hand and the presence or absence of ventricular dyskinesia or electrocardiographic evidence of previous transmural myocardial infarction on the other.