To reduce early and late mortality and morbidity following acute myocardial infarction (AMI), myocardial salvage of the jeopardized areas by coronary thrombolysis (PTCR) during the acute period is effective. However, unsuccessful thrombolysis or severe residual coronary stenosis may result in severe cardiac failure and high mortality in the early and late periods. This study was undertaken to demonstrate the effects of immediate coronary artery bypass surgery (CAB) following unsuccessful PTCR. Thirty-three patients with initial AMI were studied, in whom PTCR was performed within 10 hours of onset of chest pain but it was unsuccessful. In 16 cases (Group I) total occlusion could not be recanalized, and in 17 cases (Group II) subtotal residual stenosis (99% with delayed flow on coronary angiogram) remained. The effects of immediate CAB surgery (Group I-b: 4 cases; Group II-b: 9 cases) for myocardial salvage were evaluated by thallium-201 scintigraphy one to 14 months after onset of AMI, as compared to medical therapy (Group I-a: 12 cases; Group II-a: 8 cases). The thallium uptake in the jeopardized area was categorized as (1) defect (+), (2) decrease, and (3) defect (-). All 12 cases in Group I-a showed defect (+). In Group I-b, one case showed defect (+), one case decreased, and two cases defect (-). In Group II-a, seven of eight cases (88%) showed defect (+) and one case showed decrease; however, in Group II-b seven of nine cases (78%) showed defect (-) and two cases showed defect (+). The effects on myocardial salvage were significantly different between Group a and Group b (p less than 0.001) and Group II-a and Group II-b (p less than 0.01). In conclusion, immediate CAB surgery was superior to medical therapy for ischemic myocardial salvage following unsuccessful PTCR. These results encourage the application of immediate postinfarction CAB surgery in high-risk groups with severe residual coronary stenosis after PTCR.