Effect of Electrocautery on Endothelial Integrity of the Internal Thoracic Artery: Ultrastructural Analysis with Transmission Electron Microscopy

Abstract

The internal thoracic artery (ITA) is typically harvested from the chest wall by means of conventional electrocautery. We investigated the effects of electrocautery on endothelial-cell and vessel-wall morphology at the ultrastructural level during ITA harvesting.