Objective To evaluate the long term results of coronary reoperations for recurrent angina with internal mammary (thoracic) arteries versus vein grafts.

Design Inception cohort of 103 patients with a mean follow up of 7.1 years (range 1.0–11.6).

Setting Regional cardiothoracic centre.

Patients Among 103 consecutive patients, mean (SD) age 61.8 (9.7) years, who were reoperated for recurrent angina between January 1982 and December 1991, 53 patients had unilateral or bilateral internal mammary artery (IMA) grafting supplemented or not with saphenous vein (SV) grafts (group A), and 50 patients underwent reoperative coronary surgery using SV grafts only (group B). The two groups were comparable in terms of demographic and clinicopathological data.

Measurements and results Operative mortality was 5.6% (95% confidence interval 4.6 to 6.6) for group A, and 10% (8.2 to 11.8) for group B (p > 0.05). Probability of freedom from new recurrence of angina was 86% at 5 and 10 years in group A, compared with 56% and 25% respectively in group B (p = 0.005). Freedom from cardiac events was estimated to be 81% at 5 and 10 years in group A,v 52% and 20% for group B, respectively. Actuarial survival was 95% v 93% at 3 years, 95% v 85% at 5 years, and 88%v 71% at 10 years after reoperation (p > 0.05).

Conclusions The long term results of IMA are superior to SV grafts in terms of freedom from new recurrence of angina and other cardiac events. The IMA is thus the conduit of choice in coronary revascularisation.