Minimally invasive repair of pectus excavatum: a single institution's experience.

BACKGROUND: The Nuss repair of pectus excavatum is a relatively new, minimally invasive surgical (MIS) alternative to the traditional open "Ravitch-type" operation. We have one of the larger single-center experiences to date, and we conducted this clinical study to evaluate our early experience, emphasizing initial outcome and technical modifications designed to minimize complications.

METHODS: A retrospective chart review was performed on 112 patients who underwent 116 pectus excavatum repairs between January 1995 and January 2001. The Nuss procedure was performed in 80 patients, and open repair was performed in 32 patients. Information about demographics, deformity, operative course, complications, and early outcome was recorded.

RESULTS: Operative duration was 143 minutes for the open group and 53 minutes for the Nuss MIS group (P <.001). Blood loss was 6 mL/kg for the open group and 0.5 mL/kg for the MIS group (P <.001). Postoperative hospitalization was 3.2 days for the open group versus 3.7 days for the MIS group (P<.05).

CONCLUSIONS: The MIS pectus repair can be performed safely with minimal blood loss and reduced operative time. Short-term analysis of the quality of repair, including absence of preoperative symptoms, patient satisfaction, and cosmetic appearance are encouraging.