Arterial autologous graft-stent for treatment of coronary artery disease: a new technique.

The radial artery has been used as a free bypass graft with excellent results. An autologous vein graft-coated stent, a novel type of stent developed at our institution, has been applied successfully under both experimental and clinical conditions. To extend the spectrum of biological linings for coated stents, we used an arterial graft. We describe the first application of the radial artery as an autologous coating for a conventional stent to be used in treatment of coronary artery disease.