title: The totally thoracoscopic left atrial maze procedure for the treatment of atrial fibrillation.
abstract: The totally thoracoscopic left atrial maze (TT-maze) is a recent, minimally invasive surgical procedure for the treatment of atrial fibrillation, with promising results in terms of freedom from atrial fibrillation. The TT-maze consists of a bilateral, epicardial pulmonary vein isolation with the creation of a box using radiofrequency and exclusion of the left atrial appendage (LAA). In addition, the box is connected with the base of the LAA and furthermore with the mitral annulus with the so-called trigonum line. In this report, we describe our surgical approach and short-term results.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery, St Antonius Hospital, Nieuwegein, Netherlands c.van.laar@antoniusziekenhuis.nl.
authors.forename: Charlotte
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: van Laar
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery, St Antonius Hospital, Nieuwegein, Netherlands.
authors.forename: Guillaume S C
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Geuzebroek
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery, St Antonius Hospital, Nieuwegein, Netherlands.
authors.forename: Frederik N
authors.initials: FN
authors.lastname: Hofman
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery, St Antonius Hospital, Nieuwegein, Netherlands.
authors.forename: Bart P
authors.initials: BP
authors.lastname: Van Putte
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D020517:Atrial Appendage / Q000601:surgery*; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000601:surgery*; D006348:Cardiac Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006325:Heart Atria / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011667:Pulmonary Veins / Q000601:surgery; D020775:Thoracic Surgery, Video-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D013906:Thoracoscopy / Q000379:methods*
keywords: Atrial fibrillation; Rhythm surgery; Totally thoracoscopic maze