Coronary CT angiography: evaluation of coronary artery bypass grafts

Coronary revascularization, comprising coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), is among the most common major medical procedures provided by the US health care system, with more than 1 million procedures performed annually [1, 2]. Several innovations in coronary revascularization, such as drug-eluting stents, minimally invasive CABG surgery, and off-pump CABG surgery, have been adopted widely in the past decade, with the promise of improved clinical outcomes compared with older revascularization technologies and techniques [3, 4]. However, with the advent of PCI and the increased efficacy of medical therapy, a constant decrease in the number of CABG procedures has been steadily observed in the USA. Nonetheless, the results of the recent SYNTAX trial indicated that CABG surgery remains the better choice for coronary revascularization among patients with previously untreated three-vessel or left main coronary artery disease [5-7].