Minimally invasive surgical ablation of atrial fibrillation: six-month results.

Background: A minimally invasive surgery for treatment of atrial fibrillation was developed with bilateral pulmonary vein isolation, mapping, and ablation of the ganglionic plexi and excision of the left atrial appendage. A prospective multicenter registry was created to evaluate the outcomes.

Methods: The procedure was performed through bilateral minithoracotomies with video assistance.