This video completes a day of excellent presentations by leading surgeons exploring advanced minimally invasive techniques including congenital ventricular septal defect (VSD) surgery, endoscopic transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) explantation, multivessel minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass (MIDCAB), and more at the International Society for Minimally Invasive Cardiothoracic Surgery Annual Scientific Meeting 2026.
To begin, Tomas Holubec, Head of Department and University Professor, Senior Consultant Cardiac Surgeon, Department of Cardiac Surgery, Cardiovascular Center, Klinikum Nürnberg and Paracelsus Medical University, Nürnberg, Germany, delivered a presentation on “Totally Endoscopic Congenital VSD Surgery.” He emphasized the importance of imaging, percutaneous cannulation using a smart cannula, and decannulation, using two cases to illustrate his methods.
Next, Keita Kikuchi, Cardiovascular Surgeon, Distinguished Professor in the First Affiliated Hospital (FAH) of Cardiovascular Surgery at Xi’an Jiaotong University, China, presented “Multivessel MIDCAB.” In it, he illuminated his team’s technique for minimally invasive cardiac surgery (MICS) CABG using bilateral internal thoracic arteries (BITA) through a left small thoracotomy.
Then, Mike Zervos, Chief of Clinical Thoracic Surgery, NYU Langone Health, Clinical Professor, Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA, presented “Thoracic: SP Robotic Esophagectomy or Lung,” in which he walked through a case of bilateral synchronous primary lung cancers.
Following, Alfred Kocher, Professor Department of Cardiac and Thoracic Aortic Surgery, Medical University, Vienna, Austria, presented on “Cardiac: Aortic Root Enlargement Via Upper Hemisternotomy Using the A. Kocher Technique.” He briefly discussed the history of aortic root enlargement and presented an instructive animated video that cleanly demonstrated his own Alfred A. Kocher Technique for aortic root enlargement followed by an real-life surgery video using the technique.
Finally, Jae Suk Yoo, Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, South Korea, presented “Totally Endoscopic TAVR Explantation,” featuring several case videos and a method for blunt dissection while respecting the surgical plane.
Each presentation concluded with a panel Q&A.
The International Society for Minimally Invasive Cardiothoracic Surgery brought together professionals to analyze and share knowledge on minimally invasive techniques. Watch for more ISMICS 2026 videos in the coming weeks.
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