Abstract
Surgical treatment of the mitral valve has evolved considerably since the 1920s. During the mid-1990s new approaches through small incisions have been proposed to access the mitral valve. We herein describe the evolution of mitral surgery, the development of minimally invasive mitral techniques and compare outcomes to a standard sternotomy approach.
Financial & competing interests disclosure
The author has no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties. No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.