Six patients with atrial fibrillation were submitted to maze operation (Cox) without crioablation. Four patients had also mitral stenosis, one had mitral insufficiency and one mitral insufficiency plus mitral stenosis. The mean left atrium diameter was 6.0 cm (5-7.3) in the preoperative ecodopplercardiogram. The ethiology was rheumatic in all but one patient. Conservative mitral valve surgery was performed in five patients and mitral valve replacement in one. Thrombosis of the left atrium was present in four patients. The mean cross-clamping time was 91 minutes (80-108). In the operating room, sinus rhythm was observed in two patients and junctional rhythm in four. In the first postoperative day all patients were in junctional rhthminfour. In the firstpostoperative day all patients were in junctional rhythm. The Holter (24 hours) in the eighteeth postoperative day showed sinus rhythm in five and atrial ectopic rhythm in one. The hemodynamic data and the ecodoppler showed synchronic left atrial contraction in all but one patient and a mean left atrium diameter of 4.8 cm (3.7-5.2). The patients discharged from hospital (8-27 days) are in excellent conditions.
atrial fibrillation; Cox operation