ABSTRACT
A 77-year-old man had undergone CABG (coronary artery bypass grafting) (SVGs (saphenous vein grafts) to LAD (left anterior descending coronary artery), OM (obtuse marginal) and RCA (right coronary artery)) 15 years previously. Three years previously, he underwent CABG again (LITA (left internal thoracic artery)-OM, RGEA (right gastroepiploic artery)-RCA) due to recurrence of angina pectoris, but there was no evidence of graft disease in the SVG to the LAD. Six months before the present procedure, graft disease developed in the SVG to the LAD and caused unstable angina pectoris. Therefore, the left axillary artery was bypass grafted to the coronary artery (LAD) using SVG without cardiopulmonary bypass by means of the MIDCAB (minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass) technique. The patient has had no angina pectoris subsequently. Postoperative angiography revealed that the graft was patent. The axillo-coronary (LAD) bypass appears to be a useful procedure for re-revascularization to the LAD in patients with no available arterial graft, such as ITA (internal thoracic artery) or RGEA.