Thoracoscopy assisted Nuss procedure for pectus excavatum correction

• Published in: Zhonghua zheng xing wai ke za zhi = Zhonghua zhengxing waike zazhi = Chinese journal of plastic surgery Vol. 25; no. 2; p. 114
• Main Authors: Chen, Gang, Ben, Xiao-song, Tang, Ji-ming, Zhou, Hai-yu, Xie, Liang, Xiao, Pu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Chinese
• Published: China 01.03.2009
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Child; Child, Preschool; Female; Funnel Chest - surgery; Humans; Male; Orthopedic Procedures - methods; Thoracoscopy; Young Adult
• ISSN: 1009-4598

To evaluate the short-term effect and experience of Nuss procedure on 120 cases of patients with pectus excavatum. Thoracoscopy assisted Nuss procedure with different ways of anesthesia were applied to 120 cases of patients with pectus excavatum, including 7 cases of recurrence after traditional surgical procedure (6 cases) and Nuss method (another one). The patients ranged in age from 2.5 to 43 (mean 14.1) years and in Haller index from 2.91 to 29. Of the 120, 73 had symmetric and 47 had asymmetric pectus excavatum. The Nuss procedure is performed with general anesthesia and a convex steel bar is inserted under the sternum with thoracoscopy through small bilateral thoracic incisions. The steel bar is inserted with the convexity facing posteriorly, and when it is in position, the bar is turned over, thereby correcting the deformity. The operation was successfully accomplished without severe complications in all the 120 cases. The mean operative time was 58 minutes and the mean volume of blood loss was 30 ml.