Options for left internal mammary harvest in minimal access coronary surgery.

Abstract

The left internal mammary artery (LIMA) to the left anterior descending artery bypass remains the gold standard for coronary artery bypass grafting. This review focuses on the three major options for LIMA takedown when using minimal access options to achieve this bypass, namely standard minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass (MIDCAB), thoracoscopic MIDCAB, and robotically assisted MIDCAB.