Postoperative Stroke and Epiaortic Ultrasound in CABG

Intraoperative epiaortic ultrasound (EAU) is a real-time imaging technique used during coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) to evaluate the presence, location, and severity of atherosclerotic plaques in the ascending and arch aorta. In this study, EAU was performed after median sternotomy but prior to aortic manipulation, using a high-frequency linear transducer directly applied to the exposed aorta. Plaques were classified by thickness, and findings were used to guide surgical strategy, including modification of cannulation site, avoidance of cross-clamping, or alteration of grafting technique. This intervention differs from conventional CABG, in which such imaging is not routinely employed.