1.   A selective distal splenorenal shunt should be considered for patients with intact splenic and left renal veins and a mesocaval vein graft for the remainder.

2.   Cone had radical surgery in May to remove an aneurysm from under his right armpit and replace it with a vein graft.

3.   Cone is scheduled to have an ultrasound Friday to check the vein graft.

4.   Ethan McEntire, a low-level minor-leaguer, underwent a vein graft last November to repair an aneurysm, the same type of surgery that proved successful for Cone.

5.   He previously suffered tendinitis in the shoulder and required a vein graft to treat an aneurysm in the area.

6.   Heart researchers believe they have improved coronary bypasses by reducing the risk that vein grafts will clog within a year.

7.   In response, cells lining the vein grafts grow and form scar tissue.

8.   It is the mechanical stress on the vein graft and repaired arteries that pose greater risks for Cone than for Rogers and Soderstrom.

9.   Still, Cone was obviously wary of what might happen if the soreness does turn out to be a result of a problem with the vein graft.

10.   The gene-blocking treatment prevents abnormal deposits within the vein grafts, but treated grafts do not remain dangerously thin, Dzau said.