Fig. 1: Main differences in the revascularization concepts between PCI and CABG surgery.

a, Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has the advantage of re-establishing coronary artery blood flow after angioplasty and stent placement in a flow-limiting lesion. However, potential non-obstructive culprit lesions downstream of the stent are not treated, which could lead to infarction in distal vascular territories. b, By contrast, coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery provides a bypass for alternative blood supply to distal coronary territories (usually from an internal thoracic or radial artery or alternatively the saphenous vein), which has the advantage of protecting distal vascular territories because the grafts are usually inserted distally to additional plaque²¹.