Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery for the Treatment of Congenital Cardiac Defects in the Pediatric Population

The "Mother of pediatric cardiac anesthesia": An interview with Dr Dolly D. Hansen, a pioneering woman in medicine

Dr Dolly D. Hansen (1935-), Associate Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, devoted her life to improving the perioperative care of children with congenital heart disease. She applied her knowledge of cardiovascular and pulmonary physiology and the effects on anesthetic agents in children with and without heart disease into clinical practice and thereby greatly influenced the practice of pediatric anesthesia, cardiology, surgery, and critical care medicine. As an exceptional master clinician, leader, program builder, innovator, teacher, and academic role model, she shaped the careers of hundreds of fellows and young attendings, many of whom became leaders in the field.

Video-assisted thoracoscopic division of vascular rings

This study reports our early experience with thoracoscopic division of vascular rings. Three patients were reviewed; their ages at surgery were 25 months, 4 years, and 57 years. All patients were suffering from complete vascular rings involving combinations of the right aortic arch, left ligamentum arteriosum, Kommerell’s diverticulum, and retroesophageal left subclavian artery. The median surgical time was 180.5 minutes, and the patients showed immediate recovery. Three complications, namely chylothorax, transient supraventricular tachycardia, and left vocal cord palsy, were observed. Our early experience indicates that thoracoscopic division of a vascular ring may provide early recovery and could be a promising operative choice.