Cardiac tumor removal with minimally invasive endoscopic access

Primary cardiac tumors are mostly rare and of benign nature. In this study we reported the results of surgical removal of cardiac tumors through a totally thoracoscopic approach in four patients. The early results of this series suggest that minimally invasive endoscopic cardiac surgery is a promising alternative approach to full sternotomy for surgical removal of benign cardiac tumors. The safety and efficacy of this technically demanding technique may be reproducible provided that surgeons have adequate skills in thoracoscopic cardiac surgery.