Objective To assess the efficacy and summarize the treatment experience in correction of recurrent pectus excavatum by the non-thoracoscopic minimally invasive Nuss procedure. Methods From July 2003 to November 2007, 21 patients with recurrent pectus excavatum were treated with surgical repairs. Among them, there were 15 patients who underwent a Nuss procedure (the recurrent Nuss group), 13 males and 2 females, aged (13.31 ± 4.21) years old, and the preoperative CT scan showed the mean Haller index was 3.98 ± 0.94. The recurrence time of the depression after the primary operation was different: 2 patients with less than 1 year, 4 with 1-3 years, 7 with 3-5 years and 2 with over 5 years. There were 6 patients who underwent a modified Ravitch procedure (the recurrent Ravitch group), 5 males and 1 female, aged (13.67 ± 2.23) years old, and the mean Haller index was 3.92 ± 1.01. The recurrence time of the depression after the primary operation was as follows: 2 patients with less than 1 year, 1 with 1-3 years and 3 with 3-5 years. Another 119 patients had a primary Nuss procedure in the same period (the primary Nuss group), 95 males and 24 females, aged (7.79 ± 3.59) years old, and the mean Haller index was 4.61 ± 1.36. In terms of the age and the Haller index, there was significant difference between the recurrent Nuss group as well as the recurrent Ravitch group and the primary Nuss group (Plt; 0.05), but there was no significant difference between the recurrent Nuss group and the recurrent Ravitch group (Pgt; 0.05). Results All the patients were performed with the surgery successfully without any severe compl ications. The operation time, blood loss and postoperative hospital ization time of the recurrent Nuss group and the primary Nuss group were significantly less than those of the recurrent Ravitch group (P lt; 0.05), but there was no significant difference between the recurrent Nuss group and the primary Nuss group (P gt; 0.05). All the patients were followed up for 1.5-37.0 months (11.2 months on average). Except for 1 with plate displacement and 2 with suture reaction in the primary Nuss group who were readmitted to hospital, the other patients recovered well. The patients had perfect thoracic appearances with increased exercise tolerance and had a significantly improved psychological condition and an active social participation because of their improved appearances. The postoperative mean Haller index was 2.58 ± 0.31, 2.77 ± 0.48 and 2.52 ± 0.34 in the recurrent Nuss group, the recurrent Ravitch group and the primary Nuss group, respectively, with significant difference compared with the preoperative mean Haller index in each group (Plt; 0.05). Conclusion Although the recurrent pectus excavatum repairs are technically more challenging than the primary surgery, the non-thoracoscopic Nuss procedure for reoperative correction is a safe, effective and rel iable method.
ObjectiveTo summarize the clinical experience and investigate the safety and reliability of uniportal procedure for the correction of pectus excavatum (PE).
MethodsFrom November 2010 to November 2015, 203 PE patients (164 males, 39 femalzs average age of 5.7±3.0 years, ranging from 2 to 19 years) underwent the correction operation with only single 2 cm incision on right lateral chest. There were 188 patients under 12 years of age and 15 patients above 12 years. According to Park classification, 176 patients were symmetric and 27 were asymmetric.
ResultsAll operations were performed successfully. The average operating time was 16.1±5.2 min with a range of 4-65 min and the average postoperative hospital stay was 6.4±1.3 d, ranging from 4-14 d. A single incision was made on the right chest and only one bar was inserted in the patients. Postoperative follow-up was 1-56 months (mean, 27.6 months). There was no complication occurred such as bar turnover, displacement and redepressed sternum. Totally, 84 patients received bar removal procedure.
ConclusionIn terms of operation time and surgical trauma, uniportal procedure for PE is superior to Nuss procedure. And there is no significant difference in the safety and effectiveness between two procedures. Uniportal procedure is especially suitable for the treatment of PE children under 12 years of age.
ObjectiveTo summarize clinical experience of minimally invasive non-thoracoscopic Nuss procedure for the treatment of pectus excavatum (PE).
MethodsFifty-one pediatric patients received minimally invasive nonthoracoscopic Nuss procedure for PE between July 2008 and February 2014 in Department of Thoracic Surgery, Jinan Military General Hospital. There were 32 males and 19 females with their average age of 8.32 (2.5-17.0) years. Transverse incisions were made in bilateral chest wall. Supporting plate was put to right chest wall through retrosternal approach, turned over and fastened onto the ribs.
ResultsDeformity of all the patients was successfully corrected. Operation time was 30-52 (38±9) minutes. One patients had heart injury which was repair after open thoracotomy, and then supporting-plate was successfully secured. Postoperative complications included subcutaneous emphysema in 7 patients, pneumothorax in 3 patients and atelectasis in 3 patients, all of whom were cured by conservative treatment. Supportingplate transposition occurred in 1 patient and was corrected by reoperation. All the patients were followed up for 1-42 (21.6±7.6) months. According to Nuss standard, there were 39 patients with excellent results, 9 patients with good results, and 3 patients with fair results.
ConclusionMinimally invasive Nuss procedure is an efficacious, easy, feasible and safe procedure for the treatment of PE with low morbidity.
Objective To explore the clinical application effect and technical advantages of percutaneous suspension technique via sternal elevation device-assisted pectus excavatum (PE) correction. Methods Patients who underwent percutaneous suspension technique via sternal elevation device-assisted PE correction at West China Hospital of Sichuan University from July to August 2025 were consecutively enrolled, and their clinical data were analyzed. Results A total of 5 PE patients were included in the study, including 4 males and 1 female, aged 14 to 27 years, and the preoperative Haller index ranged from 3.44 to 7.65. Among them, 4 patients underwent PE correction assisted by percutaneous suspension technique via balance-shaped sternal elevation device, and one underwent PE correction assisted by percutaneous suspension technique via single sternal elevation device. All operations were completed successfully, with a significant expansion of the retrosternal space, smooth implantation of the steel plate, and no complications. The operation time ranged from 29 to 48 minutes, and the intraoperative blood loss was 2 to 5 mL. The patients recovered well after surgery, and the satisfaction rate with thoracic wall appearance correction was 100%. Conclusion The percutaneous suspension technique via sternal elevation device-assisted PE correction can safely expand the retrosternal operating space. This crucial expansion reduces surgical risks and optimizes the orthopedic outcome, underscoring its significant clinical value for minimally invasive treatment of PE.
The surgical treatment of pectus excavatum has a history of more than 100 years, which has gone through from traditional open surgery to the current popular minimally invasive surgery. Nuss procedure, as the most classic minimally invasive operation, has been improved in accordance with the clinical needs since its inception to achieve fewer complications and better results, but there are still limitations that are difficult to break through, attracting a large number of scholars to make continuous innovation and develop updated devices and operation methods. This article reviews the history of funnel chest surgery, application and improvement of Nuss operation, double compression and complete fixation bar system and Wang procedure.
ObjectiveTo review the current development in therapy of congenital funnel chest. MethodsRecent literature concerning the development of the treatment method for congenital funnel chest was extensively reviewed and summarized. ResultsThe main therapies for congenital funnel chest are thoracoplasty (Ravitch sternum elevation procedure and minimal invasive Nuss procedure) and prosthesis implantation. The magnetic mini-mover procedure and the vacuum bell are still in the research phase. ConclusionBesides the improvement in function, the requirement in appearance after surgery is also improved in the treatment of congenital funnel chest. The minimally invasive surgery and non-invasive procedures could be expected in the future.
Pectus excavatum (PE) is a common congenital chest malformation in children, manifested by inward depression of the anteriorthorax wall, which can compress the normal tissues and organs in the chest and cause adverse effects on the physiology and psychology of patients. Surgery is the most important means of treating PE, and with the invention of Nuss surgery, the surgical treatment of PE has entered the minimally invasive era. At present, there are many indexes to evaluate the severity of thoracic malformations in PE patients, and selecting appropriate evaluation indexes is of great significance for the formulation of surgical protocols. As a physical and mental disease, PE's deformed thoracic appearance not only affects the function of thoracic organs, but also affects the psychological state of patients. Therefore, there is still controversy over whether the role of orthopedic surgery is to improve function or cosmetic plastic surgery. At the same time, the orthopedic efficacy and postoperative complications of the existing modified and novel surgical methods need to be further observed and evaluated. In addition, the design of surgical plan and the selection of surgical timing for PE combined with other diseases are also critical and controversial issues in clinical practice. Therefore, this article explores and reviews the controversial points in the current surgical treatment of PE.
In order to identify whether the regeneration of costal cartilage is the basis of post-surgical repair of pectus excavatum and thoracic cage remodeling, 151 cases were followed up for 0.25 to 14 years. The main procedures in treatment were 3 steps: To curve the mental strut as a bow, to repair the perichondrium as a tube, and to persist in post-operative therapy. The results showed that regeneration of the costal cartilages appeared 3 months postoperatively in the cases treated by this method. It was concluded that a satisfactory thoracic cage could be remodeled by improving the technique of repairing pectus excavatum and persisting in postoperative therapy according to the regeneration regularity.
