Mitral valve surgery: comparison between superior septal and left atrial approaches

Background Mitral valve (MV) is one of the most complex structures in human heart with a challenging exposure. Traditionally, MV is approached via left atriotomy (LAA) while superior septal approach (SSA) is an alternative.Objective: is to highlight the merits and demerits of these two approaches in providing access to the MV in term of the aortic cross clamp time (ACCT), quality of exposure, and potential complications in view of the published...