Home > Encyclopedia of Surgery > Myocardial Resection

Definition

Myocardial resection is a surgical procedure in which a portion of the heart muscle is removed.

Purpose

Myocardial resection is done to improve the stability of the heart function or rhythm. Also known as endocardial resection, this open-heart surgery is done to destroy or remove damaged areas. These areas can generate life-threatening heart rhythms. Conditions resulting in abnormal heart rhythms caused by re-entry pathways or aberrant cells are corrected with this treatment.

Areas of the heart involved in a myocardial infarction change in contractility and function, becoming scar tissue that thins and hinders its ability to contract. Removing this diseased area can improve myocardial contractility reversing the severity of chronic heart failure. This procedure has shown...