Objective To summarize the experience of surgical treatment of congenital heart diseases through right axillary mini-thoracotomy and analyse related problems. Methods Two hundred and twenty-four patients of congenital heart diseases underwent open heart surgery under cardiopulmonary bypass （CPB） through a right axillary mini-thoracotomy（3rd or 4th intercostal）. Among them repair of ventricular septal defect （VSD） in 168, repair of atrial septal defect （ASD） in 48, total correction of tetralogy of Fallot （TOF） in 6, double-outlet right ventricular in 1 and Ebstein syndrome in 1. Results There was 1 postoperative death （0.45%）, the cause of death was acute pulmonary edema. Postoperative complication occurred in thirteen cases （5.8%）. There were no significant changes in CPB time, aortic cross clamping time, ventilating time and hospital stay days between right axillary minithoracotomy and median sternotomy at the same period （Pgt;0. 05）, but the bleeding volume both intraoperative and postoperative in the patients of right axillary mini-thoracotomy were significantly less than those in the patients of median sternotomy （Plt;0. 01）. Two hundred and fourteen patients were followed up （follow-up time from 2 months to 7 years）, 3 of them had early mild cardiac function insufficiency（ejection fractionlt;0. 50）, small residual shunt were found in 2 patients after VSD operation and the others recovered satisfactorily. Conclusion There were merits in right axillary mini-thoracotomy approach for treatment of properly selected congenital heart diseases; safe and reliable, low operative bleeding volume, and good results of aesthetics. But the use of this incision for repair of TOF and more complex congenital heart diseases should be careful.