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Figure 1 Artistic drawing of the left atrial part of the Cox-maze III procedure seen from the surgeon’s position standing on the patient’s right side. The procedure is performed from inside the left atrium: the left atrial appendage is excised and the pulmonary veins are completely encircled. Similarly to the heart transplantation, the heart is completely divided from all four pulmonary veins and the posterior part of the left atrium. This encircling incision is connected with the left appendicular incision and also—using a separate incision—with the mitral anulus (a cryolesion of the mitral valve anulus was not shown). All incisions are closed with continuous 3-0 and/or 4-0 polypropylene sutures. MV = mitral valve; LV = posterior wall of the left atrium; PV = left atrial ostia of the right pulmonary veins.