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Right anterolateral thoracotomy for repair of atrial septal defect
J M Grinda1, T A Folliguet, P Dervanian
1Départment de Chirugie Cardio-vasculaire et Cardiaque Pédiatrique, Hôpital Marie Lannelongue, Université Paris Sud, France.
Background:
To procure a cosmetic incision in female patients, we performed operation on atrial septal defects through a right anterolateral thoracotomy.
Methods:
From 1984 to 1994, 80 female patients with a mean age of 24 +/- 13 years (ranging from 12 to 62 years) underwent right anterolateral thoracotomy for atrial septal defect repairs. Defects repaired included 62 ostium secundum, 12 sinus venosus, 2 low septal defect, and 4 ostium primum. The right iliac external artery was systematically used for arterial cannulation, through a cosmetic incision. Repairs were always performed under fibrillation, except in the 4 ostium primum defects, for which cardioplegia was used.
Results:
There was no operative or late mortality, and no morbidity directly related to the thoracotomy approach.
Conclusions:
The right thoracotomy incision appears to be a safe and effective alternative to median sternotomy for repair of atrial septal defects.