Background: The aim of this study was to compare minithoracotomy via direct aortic cannulation with conventional affroach for congenital cardiac surgery.

Methods: Ten patients with secundum type atrial septal defect (ASD), two patients with ASD and pulmonary stenosis, one patient with ASD and anormal pulmonary venous connection, and two patients with simple and small perimembranous ventricular septal defect (VSD) and patent foramen ovale, that were operated with minithoracotomy via direct aortic cannulation (Group I, n = 15) between January 1997 and January 2001 in our clinic, were compared with fifteen operations (12 ASD secundum, 3 perimembranous VSD) that were operated with conventional median sternotomy (Group II, n = 15) in the same period in our clinic in regard to preoperative (age, sex, bleeding time, clotting time, platelet count and additional diseases like diabetus mellitus, hypertension etc.), peroperative (extracorporeal circulation time, cros clamp time, operation time), and postoperative [mechanical ventilation period, stay in postoperative intensive care unit (ICU) and hospital, mediastinal drainage amount, the amount of blood and blood products transfusion and cost] variables, retrospectively.

Results: There was only one stastistically meaningful difference between the two groups: in Group I, mean postoperative intensive care unit stay was 22.9 ± 1.5 hours, and in Group II mean postoperative ICU stay was 35 ± 4.4 hours (p < 0.05).

Conclusion: We conclude that direct aortic arterial cannulation and minithoracotomy can be preferred to conventional sternotomy in isolated and noncomplicated congenital heart lesions in young and women patients for shorter postoperative ICU stay and good cosmetic results.

Keywords : Minithrocotomy, congenital heart surgery