title: Totally endoscopic set-up for mitral valve repair.
abstract: Minimally invasive mitral surgery is increasingly recognized as routine. We describe here the financially economical set-up for totally endoscopic surgery, which also represents currently the smallest surgical access, limited only by prosthesis and retractor size. This allows the full range of repairs to be performed. Cannulation for cardiopulmonary bypass is performed via the groin. A cosmetic, periareolar (in males) or inframammary fold (in females) incision is made and the chest entered on bypass. An aortic cross-clamp and crystalloid cardioplegia are used via the aortic root prior to atriotomy and surgical repair. This method gives the highest level of cosmesis available and minimal discomfort, without compromising on the extremely good published results.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, St James's Hospital, Dublin, Ireland nwalcot@yahoo.co.uk.
authors.forename: Nicholas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Walcot
authors.affiliation: Herz und Gefäß Klinik, Bad Neustadt/Saale, Germany.
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Hohenberger
authors.affiliation: Herz und Gefäß Klinik, Bad Neustadt/Saale, Germany.
authors.forename: Fitsum
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lakew
authors.affiliation: Herz und Gefäß Klinik, Bad Neustadt/Saale, Germany.
authors.forename: Gerhard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Batz
authors.affiliation: Herz und Gefäß Klinik, Bad Neustadt/Saale, Germany.
authors.forename: Anno
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Diegeler
authors.affiliation: Herz und Gefäß Klinik, Bad Neustadt/Saale, Germany.
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Perier
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004724:Endoscopy / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D019918:Heart Valve Prosthesis Implantation / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008944:Mitral Valve Insufficiency / Q000601:surgery*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: Endoscopic; Minimally invasive; Mitral repair/replacement