Advantages and risks of minimally invasive coronary artery disease surgical treatment. Leading heart surgeon explains. Minimally invasive coronary artery bypass grafting surgery is also developing at a very rapid pace. Dr. Anton Titov, MD. What is minimally invasive coronary artery bypass grafting surgery? What are the advantages and risks of minimally invasive coronary artery bypass grafting operation? Dr. Marc Pelletier, MD. Yes. Minimally invasive coronary artery bypass grafting surgery. We talk about it as an option that does not involve going through the sternum. Today in the world the majority of coronary bypass surgery is still done through the sternum. There is an incision on the sternum. Any incision that is looking at getting away from that is better. Sometimes a small incision on the left side between the fourth, fifth or sixth ribs. That type of operation allows the patient to recover much more quickly. A surgeon can do some of the coronary artery bypasses via smaller incision. We don't have to go through the sternum. Dr. Marc Pelletier, MD. The problem has been accessing all of the arteries on the heart. There are a few surgical centers that are doing Minimally invasive coronary artery bypass grafting surgery quite regularly. They do it routinely. These surgeons do a wonderful job of it. Dr. Anton Titov, MD. But technically minimally invasive coronary bypass grafting is more challenging. It takes more time to do a minimally invasive heart operation with bypass surgery. It takes longer to place an internal mammary artery to the left anterior descending artery. That anastomosis is the the most important thing that a cardiac surgeon that we can do. We can do LIMA to LAD anastomosis operation very safely through the left chest. We can do it through a small incision, about three or four inches in length. Dr. Marc Pelletier, MD. We can take internal mammary artery, we can put it onto the heart. That minimally invasive coronary bypass surgery has become quite standard. Many medical centers are doing that minimally invasive heart surgery. But the ability to take that operation one step further is great. A surgeon is placing either vein grafts or other grafts to the other coronary arteries. But that minimally invasive surgery method is more of a challenge. Dr. Anton Titov, MD. There are a few surgeons that are doing that method of minimally invasive coronary artery operation. Surgeons do it with robotics or without it. Dr. Marc Pelletier, MD. But we're going to see more of complex minimally invasive coronary artery bypass grafting surgery in the coming years.