Minimally invasive harvesting of the radial artery as a coronary artery bypass graft.

We harvested radial arteries for coronary artery bypass procedures with a minimally invasive technique for 40 patients through two transverse 2-cm incisions in the forearm. With the help of instruments developed by us, the operation can be performed either with the use of an endoscope or with the naked eye. There were no complications in the forearm or the hand. The condition of the intima of the arterial grafts was checked by transmission and scanning electron microscopic methods and was found to be intact.