Background. Minimally invasive valve surgery is related to certain better postoperative outcomes. We aimed to assess the role of minimally invasive mitral valve surgery in high-risk patients.Methods. A systematic literature review identified eight studies of which seven fulfilled criteria for metaanalysis. Outcomes for a total of 1,254 patients (731 were conventional standard sternotomy and 523 were minimally invasive mitral valve surgery) were submitted to meta-analysis using random effects modeling. Heterogeneity and subgroup analysis with quality scoring were assessed. The primary end point was early mortality. Secondary end points were intraoperative and postoperative outcomes and long-term follow-up.Results. Minimally invasive mitral valve surgery conferred comparable early mortality to standard sternotomy (p [ 0.19); it was also associated with a lower number of units of blood transfused (weighted mean difference, L1.93; 95% confidence interval [CI], L3.04