Totally Thoracoscopic Transatrial Thrombectomy in Two Patients with Left Ventricular Thrombus

Tadashi Umeno＊,＊＊	Hidenori Sako＊	Tetsushi Takayama＊
Masato Morita＊	Hideyuki Tanaka＊	Keiji Oka＊
Shinji Miyamoto＊＊

（Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Oita Oka Hospital＊, Oita, Japan, and Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Oita University Hospital＊＊, Ufu, Japan）

Left ventricular thrombus is a complication of left ventricular dysfunction, including acute myocardial infarction, cardiomyopathy, and severe valvular heart disease. Surgical removal should be considered when a thrombus is mobile, when thromboembolism occurs, and when cardiac function has the potential to improve. Two patients with left ventricular thrombus underwent totally thoracoscopic transatrial thrombectomy. A thrombus developed in the apex of the left ventricle after acute myocardial infarction in one patient（Case 1）and during treatment for congestive heart failure in the other（Case 2). The minimally-invasive transatrial approach requires no sternotomy or left ventriculotomy and is thus particularly beneficial for treating left ventricular dysfunction. Moreover, totally endoscopic surgery confers the advantage of a deep and narrow visual field. Therefore, we consider that this strategy is highly effective for treating left ventricular thrombus.

 

Jpn. J. Cardiovasc. Surg. 46:239-242（2017）

Keywords：left ventricular thrombus;thrombectomy;endoscopic surgery