Objective: Much more concern is recently paid to the cosmetics when simple congenital heart defect is repaired. Here we present the
reversed U-shaped skin incision with lower partial sternotomy for juvenile or adult female patients.
Methods: Four patients with atrial septal defect (ASD) and one patient with ventricular septa] defect underwent the operation with
this method. Patients’ ages ranged from 5 to 46 years old.
Results: Postoperative recovery in all cases was uneventful. Only the middle portion of the operative scar was visible when the breast
was well developed. The scar was completely covered by the brassiere. A numbness of the upper medial portion of the left breast
was recognized in one initial patient, who underwent ASD closure and concomitant right-side Maze procedure, necessitating
a wider dissection than that used for other patients.
Conclusion: A reversed U-shaped skin incision with a lower sternotomy could provide relatively comfortable operative fields for cardiac
surgeons, and be cosmetically appealing to female patients who require a repair of simple congenital heart defect.
Key words cosmetic incision - congenital heart defect