The radial artery: a forgotten conduit.

We reviewed the published literature on the clinical and angiographic outcome of radial artery (RA) grafts and on the comparison between the RA and the other conduits used in coronary operations. The RA is a better graft than the saphenous vein and comparable to the right internal thoracic artery (RITA); moreover, the RA seems a better choice than the RITA in patients at risk of sternal or pulmonary complications. We conclude that the RA should be preferred to the saphenous vein and considered at least equivalent to the RITA as the second conduit during every elective coronary artery bypass procedure.