Left Atrial Roof Incision for Mitral Valve Interventions and Left Atrial Mass Resection: A Safe Alternative for...

Proper visualization has always been the cornerstone for conducting proper cardiac interventions. Although many incisions have been described for mitral valve exposure, the feasibility of some comes at the expense of proper exposure. When it comes to a small left atrium, larger incisions may venture into critically situated structures, creating a heavy toll of increased morbidity and mortality. We aim to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a superior left atrium approach for mitral valve interventions and left atrial mass resection, particularly in a small left atrium.

We present our experience and early results as a retrospective study conducted at Cardiothoracic Surgery Department, Ain-Shams University, Cairo, Egypt. A total of 85 patients underwent mitral valve interventions and left atrial mass resection through limited incision in the left atrial dome.

The study included 29 female patients and 56 male patients with a mean age of 42.56 ± 7.39 years. Twenty-seven patients were NYHA class I-II and 58 patients were class III-IV. Mean ejection fraction was 55.47 ± 8.56. Three patients had mitral valve repair, 67 patients had mitral valve replacement, and 15 patients had resection of left atrial myxomas. Preoperative atrial fibrillation was present in 27% of the patients. Two patients had new incidence of atrial fibrillation, one patient had new atrial flutter, and one patient had complete heart block, requiring a permanent pacemaker. No mortality occurred in the series, and three patients needed re-exploration for bleeding.

Limited left atrial roof incision provides a safe and feasible exposure for conducting mitral valve interventions and resection of left atrial masses, especially in cases with a small left atrium.