Outcomes of video-assisted minimally invasive approach through right mini-thoracotomy for resection of benign cardiac masses; compared with median sternotomy

Background: We performed a retrospective study of patients who underwent a video-assisted minimally invasive right mini-thoracotomy approach for cardiac benign tumor resection compared with median sternotomy.

Methods: Of 23 patients who underwent isolated benign cardiac mass resection at the Japanese Red Cross Nagoya Daiichi Hospital from 2001 to 2014, 16 patients were treated through median sternotomy and seven were operated through right mini-thoracotomy.

Results: No hospital deaths occurred. The duration of operation, cardiopulmonary bypass time, and aortic clamp time showed no significant differences. Although the postoperative intubation time and intensive care unit stay time did not differ significantly between the groups, the duration of hospital stay was significantly shorter in the minimally invasive group (17.5 ± 5.6 vs. 10.4 ± 1.5 days; p = 0.004). All of the patients except two were followed to the late phase (late follow-up rate, 91.3 %), for a mean duration of 4.7 ± 3.7 years. There were two late deaths in the sternotomy group and no recurrences in either group during the follow-up period.

Conclusions: We concluded that the clinical outcome of the minimally invasive technique for myxoma resection was acceptable and the technique is feasible.