Thoracoscopic limited pericardial resection with an ultrasonic scalpel

We employed an ultrasonic scalpel, the Harmonic Scalpel (Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Cincinnati, OH), for thoracoscopic limited pericardial resection in consecutive 10 patients with massive pericardial effusion or pericarditis. The mean operative time was 27 minutes for pericardial effusion. No dangerous arrhythmias were induced even in the patient with dense pericardial adhesions. There were mo operation-related complications or deaths. The thoracoscopic ultrasonic scalpel technique can be an efficacious minimally invasive alternative for pericardial window. (C) 1998 by The Society of Thoracic Surgeons.