Left Atrial Appendage Resection During Minimally Invasive Aortic Valve Surgery via Right Minithoracotomy

Here, we report concomitant resection of the left atrial appendage through the transverse sinus during minimally invasive aortic valve replacement via right anterolateral thoracotomy. The left atrial appendage was exposed by raising the collapsed ascending aorta and was safely resected using a surgical stapling device. This procedure is a feasible option in elderly patients, for whom a percutaneous procedure would be inappropriate, and could be useful for preventing thromboembolic and hemorrhagic complications.