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Totally endoscopic subxiphoid pericardioscopy: early steps with a new surgical tool

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Abstract

Background

Pericardial pathology still has challenging diagnostic and treating issues. To reduce surgical trauma and pain for the patient, the authors developed a totally endoscopic echo-guided approach for both diagnostic and operative pericardioscopy.

Methods

Three steps moved from animal model (8 pigs) through concomitant open-chest interventions (7 patients) to closed-chest interventions for 10 patients with a diagnosis of severe pericardial effusion.

Results

A lesion of the right ventricle in one patient (10%) due to imperfect preoperative pericardial visualization needed sternotomy for repair. All the patients, except the aforementioned one, underwent surgery with local anesthesia or mild sedation. No method-related mortality was reported.

Conclusion

The closed-chest nonintrapleural approach to the pericardium may represent an evolution, with a positive impact on the treatment of this pathology. Therapeutic maneuvers with rigid instruments in nonintubated patients are possible. Accurate patient selection and technical refinement should increase the safety and effectiveness of the method.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of General Surgery, Careggi University Hospital, Viale Pieraccini 17, 50139, Florence, Italy

    Giuseppe Manca, Andrea Valeri & Alessandro Tedone

  2. Division of Cardiac Surgery, Careggi University Hospital, Viale Pieraccini 17, 50139, Florence, Italy

    Riccardo Codecasa, Lucio Braconi, Gabriele Giunti, Avio Maria Perna & Pierluigi Stefàno

  3. Heart and Vessels Department, Careggi University Hospital, Viale Pieraccini 17, 50139, Florence, Italy

    Gianfranco Gensini

Authors
  1. Giuseppe Manca
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  2. Riccardo Codecasa
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  3. Andrea Valeri
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  4. Lucio Braconi
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  5. Gabriele Giunti
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  6. Alessandro Tedone
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  7. Avio Maria Perna
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  8. Pierluigi Stefàno
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  9. Gianfranco Gensini
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Riccardo Codecasa.

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Manca, G., Codecasa, R., Valeri, A. et al. Totally endoscopic subxiphoid pericardioscopy: early steps with a new surgical tool. Surg Endosc 23, 444–446 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00464-008-9877-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00464-008-9877-0

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