Aim : The purpose of the study was to investigate the feasibility of an endoscopic technique for radial artery harvesting in order to improve esthetics and possibly reduce the incidence of neurologic complications observed with the open method.
Methods : Between July 1st and June 16th 2003, 48 patients underwent an endoscopic radial artery harvesting at our institution. Standard endoscopic equipment and a harmonic scalpel were used. Mean age of the patients was 62.9 8.2 years and 19% were female. All patients had a preoperative Allen test and duplex sonography in order to demonstrate adequate ulnar collateral flow. The non-dominant arm was used for radial artery harvesting.
Results : The artery was harvested through a 3 cm inscision at the wrist and was divided at the elbow either through a small counter inscision (n=16) or endoscopically with the use of clips and endo-scissors (n=32). Mean harvest time was 43.5 17.4 min but decreased from 85 min for the first cases to 25 min for the last five cases. Mean harvested length was 19.6 1.5 cm. Harvesting complications included one conversion, two postoperative hematoma, one injury to the radial artery, 8 instances of endoscopically controlled bleeding and 14 patients with temporary paresthesia in the distribution of the superficial radial nerve. All patients were extremely satisfied with the cosmetic result of the procedure.
Conclusions : Endoscopic radial artery harvesting is a feasible procedure requiring a definite learning curve but providing ample patient satisfaction.