Computer-enhanced totally endoscopic sequential arterial coronary artery bypass

Minimally invasive coronary artery bypass grafting of the anterior wall using a left anterior small thoracotomy became a routine procedure within the last 3 years. The introduction of robotics into the cardiosurgical practice in 1998 has finally enabled totally endoscopic closed chest procedures. We report two patients with totally endoscopic left internal thoracic artery bypass grafting to the left anterior descending artery and the first diagonal branch in sequential arterial revascularization technique using the daVinci surgical system. (C) 2001 by The Society of Thoracic Surgeons.