Transesophageal echocardiography-guided device occlusion of ventricular septal defects:a propensity score matching analysis of left anterior mini-thoracotomy vs.lower partial median sternotomy

To the Editor:Ventricular septal defect(VSD),as the most common congenital heart defect,accounts for up to 40%of all congenital cardiac malformations.[1]Traditional surgical repair on cardiopulmonary bypass produces substantial trauma and has a long recovery time,and percutaneous device closure is not suitable for all types of VSDs.As minimally invasive procedures have become more common in cardiac surgery,minimally invasive occluder device closure of VSDs under transesophageal echocardiography(TEE)guidance is widely used with excellent preliminary,midterm,and long-term results.[2-4]A small subxiphoid incision and the third/fourth left intercostal space beside the sternum are the two major incisions for device closure of VSDs.However,the differences between the two incisions are unknown.This report describes our experience with two incisions for device closure of VSDs.