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Updated: Apr 19, 2026
Technique and Patient Selection Criteria of Right Anterior Mini-Thoracotomy for Minimal Access Aortic Valve Replacement
Published on: March 26, 2018
Thoracoscope-assisted Right Vertical Infra-axillary Mini-incision for Cardiac Surgery
Qiong Zhang1, Zheng-Chun Zhou1, Min Lin1
1Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Anhui, China.
Background:
The thoracoscope and minimally invasive techniques have been effectively used in cardiac surgery.
Methods:
The study included 27 consecutive patients (aged 24.8±17.6 years), who underwent cardiac surgery from January 2012 to July 2013. Six patients were diagnosed with mitral valve stenosis (MS), 17 patients with atrial septal defects (ADSs), and four with ventricular septal defects (VSDs). All the patients underwent thoracoscope-assisted right vertical infra-axillary mini-incision (TARVAI).
Results:
The procedure was successfully performed in all patients. For the patients with ASDs or VSDs, the times for cardiopulmonary bypass, aortic cross-clamping, operating (skin-to-skin), ventilation, ICU stay, postoperative hospital stay were 63±25 min, 28.1±15.5 min, 167.1±35.7 min, 5.2±2.7 h, 25.3±10.5 h, 8.7±3.6 days, and for the patients with MS, these were 143.3±25.2 min, 88.2±15.4 min, 236.5±48.5 min, 7.3±1.5 h, 36.7±9.1 h, and 13.5±4.4 days, respectively. The median postoperative drainage (total) for the ASD/VSD and MS patients was 136.3±54.5 ml and 203.8±94.4 ml, respectively.
Conclusions:
In our institution, the TARVAI approach is feasible and safe in cardiac surgery. It may be particularly useful in young patients with simple congenital heart disease and mitral valve disease.
