 Although the radial artery was introduced as a potential conduit for coronary artery bypass grafting in the 1970s, enthusiasm for its use was limited by the technical difficulty of harvesting the vessel and problems with perioperative vascular spasm. In spite of this, some surgeons persisted based on their belief that arterial conduits would be better than vein grafts, in terms of long-term patency. With the development of new harvesting techniques and the introduction of calcium channel blockers to prevent vasospasm, the use of the radial artery graft has increased in recent years. This use of the radial artery as a conduit is not based on any long-term prospective data regarding its patency. However, because the VA has been a leader in defining the long-term efficacypatency of saphenous vein and internal mammary grafts, it is appropriate for the VA to investigate radial artery grafts. In fact, the VA under its Cooperative Studies Program, is probably the only health care delivery system that has the ability to undertake this study. 