title: Thoracoscopy for minimally invasive axillo-coronary artery bypass.
abstract: Minimally invasive axillo-coronary artery bypass via a small thoracotomy or a limited sternotomy was performed in five patients. For this approach, videoscopy was used to determine the intrapleural path of each vein graft, which was curved by the expanded lung tissue and had the potential for kinking or distortion. Postoperative angiography confirmed the patency of each graft with no kinking or distortion. Thoracoscopy facilitates this approach, allowing appropriate placement of the vein graft in the chest cavity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8655, Japan. otsuka-tho@h.u-tokyo.ac.jp
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ohtsuka
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kubota
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Motomura
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Takamoto
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000789:Angina, Unstable / Q000601:surgery*; D001366:Axillary Artery / Q000601:surgery*; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D020775:Thoracic Surgery, Video-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D014680:Veins / Q000637:transplantation*