title: Less invasive mitral valve surgery via right minithoracotomy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Current trends in cardiac surgical intervention are moving toward less invasiveness, with smaller wound or sternum-sparing, less pump time or off-pump, and beating rather than arrested heart. Data on the efficacy and safety of these newer less invasive techniques, as well as their cosmetic results, are limited. This study analyzed the results of a sternum-sparing mitral valve operation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty patients with mitral valve diseases, including 20 who underwent mitral valve repair and 10 mitral valve replacement, were enrolled. Cardiopulmonary bypass was established via femoral cannulation, and blood cardioplegic arrest was induced by using a percutaneous, transthoracic cross-clamp. The main surgical wound was made over the lateral border of the right breast. Two additional small wounds were required for the transthoracic aortic clamp and the mitral retractor.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was no operative mortality, and all patients had an uneventful recovery. Two patients underwent redo mitral surgery. Nine associated procedures were performed including tricuspid valve annuloplasty in six patients, tricuspid valve replacement in two patients and atrial septal defect repair in one patient. The length of the main wound was between 5.8 and 7.8 cm (mean, 7.1 cm). The mean cardiopulmonary bypass time and cross-clamp time were 91.1 and 43.7 minutes, respectively. Although the length of stay was not significantly reduced compared with traditional median sternotomy, all patients had satisfactory results with good cosmesis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Sternum-sparing mitral valve surgery appears to be a safe and effective alternative to conventional mitral valve surgery; it is less invasive and provides superior cosmetic results for patients.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiovascular Surgery, Far-Eastern Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Kuan-Ming
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Chiu
authors.forename: Tzu-Yu
authors.initials: TY
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Shao-Jung
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Jer-Shen
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Shu-Hsun
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Chu
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019060:Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures; D008943:Mitral Valve / Q000601:surgery*; D008944:Mitral Valve Insufficiency / Q000601:surgery*; D013908:Thoracotomy / Q000379:methods*