Sternal suspension technique in treatment of pectus excavatum after open repair of congenital heart disease / 中华胸心血管外科杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To evaluate the efficacy of using sternal suspension technique in correcting pectus excavatum after open repair of congenital heart disease and improve the safety of this technique.Methods A retrospective study was conducted for 8 cases of pectus excavatum treated with sternal suspension procedure after open repair of congenital heart disease from October 2005 to October 2018 in our institution,5 males and 3 females.The median age of patients was 5.75 years (range 3.75-12.33 years) and the median Haller index was 4.20 (range 3.60-5.19).All patients underwent cardiac ultrasound and chest CT scan to evaluate the severity retrosternal adhesions.Results All patients underwent the sternal suspension procedure successfully with a median operation time 55 min (range 30-230 min) and a median blood loss of 2 ml (range 2-120 ml).There was one patient suffered pneumothorax after operation.The patients were followed up for4 months to 13 years with an excellent and good outcome.Conclusion Sternal suspension technique is a safe and effective procedure for pectus excavatum.To improve the security and reduce the incidence of cardiac injury,sternal suspension technique is a promising alternative for pectus patients with severe adhesion after open repair of congenital heart disease.