Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery for congenital heart disease

Video-assisted endoscopic techniques have reduced operative trauma in adult thoracic and general surgery, but applications in children with congenital heart disease have been limited. We report the development of video-assisted thoracic surgery procedures for neonates and infants with cardiovascular disease. Endoscopic instruments and techniques for pediatric cardiovascular procedures were designed and tested in the animal laboratory. Forty-eight operations were subsequently performed in 46 pediatric patients ranging in age from 2 hours to 14 years (median 9 months), weighing from 575 grams to 54 kg (median 8.5 kg). Clinical applications included seven different surgical procedures: patent ductus arteriosus interruption in infants (n = 26) and premature neonates (n = 5), vascular ring division (n = 8), pericardial drainage and resection (n = 3), arterial and venous collateral interruption (n = 2), thoracic duct ligation (n = 2), epicardial pacemaker lead insertion (n = 1), and diagnostic thoracoscopy (n = 1). There was no operative mortality. Technical success, defined as a video-assisted procedure completed without incising chest wall muscle or spreading the ribs, was achieved in 39 of 48 procedures (82%), with thoracotomy required to complete nine procedures. Most patients (22/25, 88%) undergoing elective ductus ligation were extubated in the operating room and discharged from the hospital within 48 hours of the operation. Eight of the last 10 patients having ductus ligation were discharged on the first postoperative day. Residual ductal flow was assessed by (1) transesophageal echocardiography in the operating room (incidence: 0/25, 0%, 70% CL 0% to 7.3%); (2) discharge auscultation (incidence: 1/30, 3%, 70% CL 0.5% to 10.8%); and (3) follow-up Doppler echocardiography (incidence: 3/25, 12%, 70% CL 5.4% to 22.6%). Video-assisted thoracoscopic techniques can be safely applied to pediatric patients with patent ductus arteriosus and vascular rings and may become an effective addition to the staged management of more complex forms of congenital heart disease.