Takahashi Hiroaki, Gertner Victor, Arif Rawa, Kallenbach Klaus, Karck Matthias, Ruhparwar Arjang
Department of Cardiac Surgery, University Hospital Heidelberg.
Ann Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2014;20 Suppl:709-12. doi: 10.5761/atcs.cr.12.01917. Epub 2013 Mar 26.
Although median sternotomy is the accepted approach to the heart for cardiac surgery, minimally invasive approaches including partial sternotomies have recently been developed. However, such strategies might lead to sternal overriding, instability, and fracture or division of the internal thoracic arteries. Furthermore, a full sternotomy would be required to address unpredictable intra- or postoperative complications. This article describes minimally invasive aortic valve replacement via full sternotomy and minimal skin incision using an endoscope.
