Intermediate
Technical
In the Industry Vocabulary Test
saphenous vein graft
Pronunciation: sah-FEE-nus
A venous conduit harvested from the leg and used for coronary artery bypass surgery.
Full Definition
A saphenous vein graft is a section of the great saphenous vein harvested from the patient's leg and used as a conduit in coronary artery bypass surgery. These grafts are anastomosed from the aorta to coronary arteries distal to stenotic lesions. While easier to harvest than arterial grafts, SVGs have higher rates of atherosclerosis and occlusion over time. In cardiovascular radiology, SVG evaluation is critical for assessing bypass graft patency and planning interventional procedures.
Usage
Usage note: Can be abbreviated as SVG in subsequent references. Note the spelling of 'saphenous' - commonly misspelled.
In Context
- "The saphenous vein graft to the posterior descending artery was totally occluded." — Cardiac catheterization report
- "Percutaneous intervention of the saphenous vein graft was performed using an embolic protection device." — Interventional procedure note
Also known as
SVG
venous graft
Contrasted with
arterial graft
Don't confuse with
saphenous artery
internal mammary artery