Progress on the optimal age for Nuss procedure in children with pectus excavatum / 国际儿科学杂志

ABSTRACT

Pectus excavatum is the most common congenital deformity of the chest wall in children.Currently, surgery remains to be the most effective treatment available for this disease.The Nuss procedure has become the most widely used technique in clinical work since 1998.However, the optimal operation time remains controversial, no consensus exists among surgeons.Mostly, surgeons from western countries believe it′s best to repair the deformity around the time of puberty, while Chinese surgeons prefer to perform the surgery earlier, mainly at three to six years old, or around school age.Hence, this review was carried out to summarize the surgical results and postoperative complications of Nuss procedure among different age groups, purposed to offer a reference for the rational decision of pediatric surgeons.