Procedure

Endoscopic radial artery harvesting

Division of Cardiac Surgery, University of Brescia Medical School, Italy

^* Corresponding author: Gianluigi Bisleri, Cardiochirurgia SSVD, Spedali Civili, P.le Spedali Civili, 1, 25123 Brescia, Italy. Tel.: +39-030-3996401; fax: +39-030-3996096. gianluigi.bisleri{at}gmail.com

As novel technologies became available in the surgical scenario, there has been an increasing interest towards minimally invasive approaches for conduits harvesting in recent years. There is a consistent evidence in literature demonstrating the advantages of an endoscopic approach for saphenous vein harvesting over the open technique; therefore, several authors previously investigated and demonstrated the safety and usefulness also of an endoscopic approach for radial artery harvesting when compared to the open one. This article describes the currently available approaches for minimally invasive endoscopic radial artery harvesting (ERAH) and focuses on the authors' experience combining a reusable retractor and a disposable vessel sealing systems.

Key Words: Endoscopic • Radial artery • Minimally invasive