title: Totally endoscopic subxiphoid pericardioscopy: early steps with a new surgical tool.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Pericardial pathology still has challenging diagnostic and treating issues. To reduce surgical trauma and pain for the patient, the authors developed a totally endoscopic echo-guided approach for both diagnostic and operative pericardioscopy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Three steps moved from animal model (8 pigs) through concomitant open-chest interventions (7 patients) to closed-chest interventions for 10 patients with a diagnosis of severe pericardial effusion.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A lesion of the right ventricle in one patient (10%) due to imperfect preoperative pericardial visualization needed sternotomy for repair. All the patients, except the aforementioned one, underwent surgery with local anesthesia or mild sedation. No method-related mortality was reported.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The closed-chest nonintrapleural approach to the pericardium may represent an evolution, with a positive impact on the treatment of this pathology. Therapeutic maneuvers with rigid instruments in nonintubated patients are possible. Accurate patient selection and technical refinement should increase the safety and effectiveness of the method.
authors.affiliation: Division of General Surgery, Careggi University Hospital, Viale Pieraccini 17, 50139, Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Manca
authors.forename: Riccardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Codecasa
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Valeri
authors.forename: Lucio
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Braconi
authors.forename: Gabriele
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Giunti
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tedone
authors.forename: Avio Maria
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Perna
authors.forename: Pierluigi
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Stefàno
authors.forename: Gianfranco
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gensini
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004452:Echocardiography; D004724:Endoscopy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D023421:Models, Animal; D010490:Pericardial Effusion / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery*; D010491:Pericardial Window Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation*; D025321:Surgery, Computer-Assisted / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D013552:Swine; D014989:Xiphoid Bone