Unraveling postoperative alterations after mitral valve replacement with three-dimensional printing.

Mitral valve (MV) surgery is the second most performed valve operation in Europe. MV pathology is associated with atrial fibrillation, and, therefore, frequently combined with rhythm surgery and left atrial appendage exclusion (LAAE). Currently, no guidelines exist regarding the follow up after LAAE postoperative. Postoperative imaging with computed tomography (CT), in the absence of complaints, will inherently reveal unsuspected cardiac and noncardiac findings with potential clinical significance. However, poststernotomy alterations are nonspecific and often overlap with normal postoperative changes and could, therefore, not directly be recognized. Virtual three-dimensional (3D) CT reconstructions can help us to visualize 2D structures, especially in areas where structures overlap like coronary arteries or when devices (atrial clip, MV prosthesis) cause scattering artifacts. Advanced imaging reconstructions and 3D printing can enhance understanding of the cardiac anatomy in the postoperative phase and help us to determine follow-up strategies.

Subxiphoid left atrial ablation for atrial fibrillation.

Atrial fibrillation is becoming a disease that needs to be addressed with definitive long-term treatment as opposed to medical management options. Ablation or isolation of focal triggers around the pulmonary veins can eliminate arrhythmia substrates for patients with paroxysmal, lone atrial fibrillation. However, limited pulmonary vein isolation strategies do not address reentrant circuits common in persistent and longstanding persistent patients with structural heart disease and enlarged atria.  The convergent procedure is a hybrid ablation treatment for atrial fibrillation. It consists of surgical ablation of the posterior left atrium through a minimally invasive closed-chest approach followed by endocardial catheter ablation. The convergent procedure was developed to treat atrial fibrillation by creating a complete and comprehensive pattern of linear lesions on the left atrial backwall under direct endoscopic visualization while avoiding chest incisions and deflation of the lungs. Endocardial ablation follows the epicardial procedure to confirm lesion integrity and supplement the epicardial procedure, which is performed in a staged fashion.