{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,7]],"date-time":"2026-09-07T15:40:07Z","timestamp":1788795607375,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":21,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"12","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,11,21]],"date-time":"2024-11-21T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1732147200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Medicina"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The saphenous vein graft (SVG) has been a cornerstone of coronary bypass surgery, but its long-term patency is limited by accelerated atherosclerosis. Recent advancements, including the no-touch technique and the use of SVG as a limb of the left internal thoracic artery (LITA), have shown promise in improving outcomes. Both approaches enhance nitric oxide (NO) availability, a key factor in promoting endothelial stability and arterial-like behavior in the SVG. Among these, the LITA-SVG connection may offer superior long-term benefits due to sustained NO supplementation. This paper argues that the SVG, with proper strategies, can indeed achieve outcomes comparable to arterial grafts.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/medicina60121915","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,11,21]],"date-time":"2024-11-21T12:25:42Z","timestamp":1732191942000},"page":"1915","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["The Saphenous Vein Graft: Can a Frog Become a Princess?"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"60","author":[{"given":"Antonio Maria","family":"Calafiore","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"1st Department of Cardiac Surgery, Henry Dunant Hospital, Leof. Mesogeion 107, 11526 Athens, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sotirios","family":"Prapas","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"1st Department of Cardiac Surgery, Henry Dunant Hospital, Leof. Mesogeion 107, 11526 Athens, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1192-1908","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ignazio","family":"Condello","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Cardiac Surgery, Anthea Hospital GVM Care and Research, Via Camillo Rosalba 35\/37, 70124 Bari, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Konstantinos","family":"Katsavrias","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"1st Department of Cardiac Surgery, Henry Dunant Hospital, Leof. Mesogeion 107, 11526 Athens, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3519-770X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Giuseppe","family":"Nasso","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Cardiac Surgery, Anthea Hospital GVM Care and Research, Via Camillo Rosalba 35\/37, 70124 Bari, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4680-0815","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mario","family":"Gaudino","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Weill Cornell Medicine, 1300 York Ave., New York, NY 10065, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,11,21]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1070","DOI":"10.1161\/01.CIR.57.6.1070","article-title":"Coronary bypass graft fate: Angiographic grading of 1400 consecutive grafts early after operation and of 1132 after one year","volume":"57","author":"FitzGibbon","year":"1978","journal-title":"Circulation"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"616","DOI":"10.1016\/0735-1097(96)00206-9","article-title":"Coronary bypass graft fate and patient outcome: Angiographic follow-up of 5065 grafts related to survival and reoperation in 1388 patients during 25 years","volume":"28","author":"Fitzgibbon","year":"1996","journal-title":"J. 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Surg."},{"key":"ref_13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1186","DOI":"10.1161\/CIRCULATIONAHA.121.056438","article-title":"Saphenous Vein Versus Right Internal Thoracic Artery as a Y-Composite Graft: Ten-Year Angiographic and Long-Term Clinical Results of the SAVE RITA Trial","volume":"144","author":"Kim","year":"2021","journal-title":"Circulation"},{"key":"ref_14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"845","DOI":"10.1016\/j.athoracsur.2011.04.063","article-title":"Expression and function of endothelial nitric oxide synthase messenger RNA and protein are higher in internal mammary than in radial arteries","volume":"92","author":"He","year":"2011","journal-title":"Ann. Thorac. Surg."},{"key":"ref_15","first-page":"294","article-title":"Nitric oxide, endothelin-1, and superoxide production in arterial bypass grafts","volume":"33","author":"Aksungar","year":"2006","journal-title":"Tex. Heart Inst. 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Surg."}],"container-title":["Medicina"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/1648-9144\/60\/12\/1915\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,10]],"date-time":"2025-10-10T16:37:03Z","timestamp":1760114223000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/1648-9144\/60\/12\/1915"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2024,11,21]]},"references-count":21,"journal-issue":{"issue":"12","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,12]]}},"alternative-id":["medicina60121915"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/medicina60121915","relation":{},"ISSN":["1648-9144"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1648-9144","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2024,11,21]]}}}