Abstract
Objective: The saphenous vein (SV) is a commonly used graft; however, sometimes, it cannot be used due to small diameter or abnormal morphology. Although ultrasonography has been widely used to evaluate SV preoperatively, it has difficulty in capturing the entire image of the SV. We conducted this study to clarify the usefulness of noncontrast computed tomography (CT) and to elucidate the incidence of inadequate SV as a graft. Materials and methods: All patients routinely underwent preoperative thoracoabdominal CT. The scanning range was extended to the ankles and the exposure increased by approximately 5–6 mGy. Three-dimensional (3D) CT images were reconstructed from noncontrast CT images. From October 2017 to February 2019, 54 patients' SVs were evaluated by preoperative 3D-CT. We generally harvested the SV from the lower leg, but if the SV of the lower leg had any morphological abnormality, we harvested from the thigh. Results: Of the 54 patients, the proportion of patient with inadequate SVs was approximately 20%. Adequate SV was 76.9% in the lower legs and 88.0% in the thighs. Forty-seven SVs were harvested from the lower legs, and 15 SVs were switched to harvest from the thighs. The average diameter of harvested SV grafts was 3.8 mm in the thigh and 3.7 mm in the lower leg. Conclusion: Noncontrast 3D-CT can provide accurate, objective, and reproducible high-resolution images of the SVs with a slight increase in radiation exposure. The proportion of adequate SV was not high, and nearly 40% of the patients had an inadequate SV as a graft.
