Content from the Journal of the American Neurological Surgeons.
The authors present a case of a patient who underwent right anterior thoracotomy aortic valve replacement with concomitant ascending and hemiarch replacement. This video demonstrates the feasibility of combining a minimally invasive thoracotomy approach with complex aortic surgery. Key technical aspects included femoral cannulation, limited thoracotomy exposure, safe myocardial and cerebral protection strategies, and meticulous…
In this insightful interview, Cristina Ruiz Segria, CTSNet Senior Editor—Clinical Care Providers and nurse practitioner at James Cook University Hospital, UK, speaks with Amy Luckert, a physician assistant at Northwell Health, NY, USA, about bedside assistant training for robotic cardiac surgery care. They discuss the transition from being a bedside assistant for minimally invasive…
There are several surgical techniques to access the mediastinum and thoracic cavity. For the removal of large mediastinal tumors, the most commonly employed methods are midline sternotomy or a lateral thoracotomy. Less frequently, incisions such as the classic clamshell or hemi-clamshell are used. While minimally invasive techniques such as robotic-assisted surgery and video-assisted thoracic surgery…
In this excellent interview, CTSNet Editor-in-Chief Joel Dunning spoke with Dr. Sameer Hirji, an associate surgeon at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, MA, USA, about a paper he presented on at the 62nd Society of Thoracic Surgeons Annual Meeting titled “Concerning Trends Seen in Aortic Stenosis-Related Mortality: CDC WONDER.” They discussed the study…
This video is part of CTSNet’s 2025 Resident Video Competition. Watch all entries into the competition, including the winning videos. This video represents a case of a robotic left upper lobectomy with chest wall resection and reconstruction. Patient History The patient was a 77-year-old male with a 30 pack-per-year smoking history who presented with left upper lobe mass with rib…
This video is part of CTSNet’s 2025 Resident Video Competition. Watch all entries into the competition, including the winning videos. Clinical Presentation and Preoperative Course The patient was a 56-year-old male with a history of hyperlipidemia, nephrolithiasis, and a recent episode of upper respiratory infection treated with antibiotics who presented with two months of persistent dyspnea. The patient had…
This video is part of CTSNet’s 2025 Resident Video Competition. Watch all entries into the competition, including the winning videos. This video demonstrates the surgical repair of type I truncus arteriosus using a bovine internal jugular xenograft for right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) reconstruction, highlighting key operative steps and surgical decision-making. The key steps demonstrated in the video…
Introduction On behalf of the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at St. James’s Hospital, two cases are presented to demonstrate the authors’ technique of aortic arch replacement using a novel frozen elephant trunk hybrid arch device. The left subclavian artery can present particular challenges during frozen elephant trunk procedures, as it can often be deep, posterior,…
Case Presentation A 58-year-old female was referred for evaluation of an incidentally discovered Morgagni hernia. Over time, she developed intermittent aching and sharp anterior chest pain, exacerbated by torso twisting and bending. Her medical history was notable for prior laparoscopic gastric band placement. Imaging confirmed an anterior diaphragmatic defect consistent with a Morgagni hernia. Given…
This video is part of CTSNet’s 2025 Resident Video Competition. Watch all entries into the competition, including the winning videos. In this video, the authors present a case of a single-incision, single-port robotic right upper lobectomy. The patient was a 62-year-old female with a history of hypertension, diabetes, and prior tobacco use. She had an incidentally discovered right upper…
This video is part of CTSNet’s 2025 Resident Video Competition. Watch all entries into the competition, including the winning videos. This video demonstrates a Ross procedure with annular stabilization, an interposition graft, and a loose-jacket technique. The patient was a 52-year-old man with severe aortic regurgitation and a history of a bicuspid aortic valve diagnosed in…
Power: A Memoir offers a rare and thoughtful look at leadership from the inside out. Set within the global heart valve and medical device industry, the memoir traces a career shaped not only by authority but also by responsibility, trust, and long-term relationships. Rather than presenting power as control or status, the book reframes it as…
In this important interview, CTSNet Editor-in-Chief Joel Dunning spoke with Dr. Shanda Blackmon, a thoracic surgeon and Professor of Surgery, as well as the Director of the Lung Institute at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA, about an article from The New York Times in which she was featured, titled “Female CT Surgeons, Unlocking…
This video is part of CTSNet’s 2025 Resident Video Competition. Watch all entries into the competition, including the winning videos. The patient was a 53-year-old individual with no relevant past medical history. Preoperative imaging demonstrated severe aortic valve stenosis without associated aortic regurgitation and dilatation of the ascending aorta to a maximum diameter of 49 mm. In addition, a…
This video is part of CTSNet’s 2025 Resident Video Competition. Watch all entries into the competition, including the winning videos. Introduction Aneurysm of the right atrial appendage (RAA) is an extremely rare cardiac malformation, typically congenital, although it may also result from right atrial overload due to conditions such as pulmonary hypertension, a patent foramen ovale, or right heart…
The authors present a video of a surgical approach to repair a large right coronary artery (RCA) aneurysm associated with a coronary sinus fistula in a 51-year-old woman. They recommend not simply ligating the fistula, as the ligation could cause an abrupt decrease in coronary flow in the dilated coronary artery, leading to thrombosis and…
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