Minimally invasive mitral valve repair

The practice of minimally invasive surgery is becoming increasingly widespread in the current era of cardiac surgery. Minimally invasive mitral valve surgery (MIMVS) describes many different surgical techniques used in the management of mitral valve (MV) disease. Variations in surgical techniques include a combination of the type of incision, direct visualization (videoscopic or robotic visualization), cardiopulmonary perfusion techniques, and aortic occlusion (external clamping, endo-clamping, or fibrillatory arrest). In this chapter, the history and current literature related to MIMVS are reviewed in detail. In addition, we discuss both important technical aspects associated with MIMVS, as well as our approach at the Saint Thomas Heart Institute.