Aortocoronary bypass grafting with expanded polytetrafluoroethylene: 12-year patency

Prosthetic coronary artery bypass conduits are rarely used because the rate of thrombosis is inherently higher than that with autologous conduits. The low medium-term patency rates of prosthetic grafts have restricted their use primarily to patients with inadequate autologous conduits or to selected emergencies. We describe a patient treated with expanded polytetrafluoroethylene who had documented patency 12 years after the operation. (C) 1998 by The Society of Thoracic Surgeons.