The totally thoracoscopic left atrial maze procedure for the treatment of atrial fibrillation

Abstract

The totally thoracoscopic left atrial maze (TT-maze) is a recent, minimally invasive surgical procedure for the treatment of atrial fibrillation, with promising results in terms of freedom from atrial fibrillation. The TT-maze consists of a bilateral, epicardial pulmonary vein isolation with the creation of a box using radiofrequency and exclusion of the left atrial appendage (LAA). In addition, the box is connected with the base of the LAA and furthermore with the mitral annulus with the so-called trigonum line. In this report, we describe our surgical approach and short-term results.