Five patients undergoing distal saphenous vein bypass had an attempt at intraoperative laser vaporization of a proximal coronary stenosis. Laser treatment of three patients was technically successful. One patient's successfully treated native vessel was competing with the graft at angiographic restudy 25 days after the procedure. This first human intraoperative laser recanalization trial generated questions regarding the energy source, power parameters, and catheter modifications required for satisfactory clinical laser therapy. The trial is directing future experiments toward more efficient and complete laser vaporization of atherosclerotic plaques in the human coronary vasculature.