[Minimal invasive cardiac surgery].

With the advent of cardiopulmonary bypass in 1953, complex intracardiac procedures were developed and a full sternotomy was established as the standard approach for these. With this technique, cardiac surgery achieved excellent immediate and long-term results that became the gold standard in a variety of cardiac pathologies, both congenital and acquired. By the late 90's, new techniques were developed, associated with less surgical trauma, decreased postoperative pain and faster functional recovery. Today, in specialized centres, minimally invasive cardiac surgery has been shown to achieve comparable and even better results than conventional surgery. It is rapidly becoming a new standard for valvular heart surgery.