Vasilii I. Kolesov. A pioneer of coronary revascularization by internal mammary-coronary artery grafting.

Vasilii I. Kolesov, a cardiac surgeon from Leningrad, performed the first sutured internal mammary artery-coronary artery anastomosis on Feb. 25, 1964. He used the internal mammary artery pedicle (Kolesov's pedicle, Feb. 25, 1964) and described beadlike nodules and a dimpling of the epicardium over the atherosclerotic coronary artery (Kolesov's groove sign, Jan. 26, 1965). He introduced mechanical suturing to coronary artery surgery (March 22, 1967), internal mammary artery grafting for acute myocardial infarction (Feb. 5, 1968) and for unstable angina (May 17, 1968), and retrograde (Dec. 11, 1968) and bilateral (July 10, 1969) internal mammary artery grafts. Kolesov demonstrated early and long-term clinical and hemodynamic improvement with a 70% survival rate at 5 to 17 years' follow-up after internal mammary artery grafting (1967 to 1987).