ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To review the experience in correction operation of pectus excavatum with non-thoracoscopic Nuss procedure.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>From September 2005 to August 2007, 108 patients with pectus excavatum were surgically corrected by non-thoracoscopic Nuss procedure. There were 91 male patients and 17 female patients. The age was from 2 years and 10 months old to 25 years old with an average of 7 years and 9 months old. The Haller indexes were from 3.6 to 10.1 before the operation.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The operation in all patients had been performed successfully without any severe complications. The average time of operation was 40 minutes. The average bleeding volume during procedure was 10 ml. Uneventful recovery was achieved in all the cases. Excellent outcome was obtained in the follow-up of 2 months to 21 months in 92 patients.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Non-thoracoscopic Nuss procedure for correction of pectus excavatum is safe and effective. It is unnecessary to perform the procedure into thoracic cavity so that there is less trauma and shorter time for the operation.</p>