Atherosclerosis is often a generalized disease, affecting not only coronary circulation, but other parts of vascular system as well. Vascular diseases most commonly encountered in patients with coronary atherosclerosis are carotid disease, abdominal aortic aneurysm and obliterative atherosclerosis in aortoiliac segment. In such situation two options are available: to treat the more significant, life-threatening manifestation first and postpone the other operation--staged approach; or to perform coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and other vascular procedures during one single operation--synchronous surgery. The advantages of this latter approach are obvious: patient has to undergo only one operation; there is no additional risk in the waiting period for second operation; surgical treatment is greatly accelerated. From 1978 until July 1990 a total of 123 synchronous CABG and vascular procedures were carried out in our clinic. In the same period, CABG was performed in 3867 pts in the same institution; combined procedures amount to 3.5% of all coronary revascularisations performed in the same period. CABG was done together with carotid endarterectomy (CEA) in 45 pts, associated with resection of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) in 31 and in 28 pts it was combined with vascular procedures in aorto-iliac or femoral segment. In 4 pts a triple procedure--CABG, CEA and peripheral vascular reconstruction--were undertaken. Thoracic aortic aneurysm and CABG were performed in 15 pts. CEA is performed immediately prior to CABG in symptomatic carotid disease, past history of transient ischemic attack, severe bilateral carotid disease and unilateral carotid obstruction with contralateral stenosis.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)