Off-Pump Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting via Left Thoracotomy in a Patient with Esophageal Cancer

A 71-year-old man with early-stage esophageal cancer underwent off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) through left thoracotomy to avoid sternotomy to allow subsequent esophageal surgery. The patient had severe double vessel coronary artery disease (the left anterior descending artery and the right coronary artery). Esophageal pull-out resection and reconstruction with the transverse colon over the sternum were planned after recovery from CABG. Therefore, we performed off-pump CABG via left thoracotomy using a saphenous vein Y-graft. Proximal anastomosis was placed in the descending aorta, and the distal anastomoses were completed with a stabilizer and an apical retraction device. Postoperative angiograms showed both grafts were patent and had suitable layout for subsequent esophageal surgery. In conclusion, off-pump CABG via left thoracotomy is an appropriate option for myocardial revascularization, if median sternotomy is contraindicated.