Indications for surgical repair of funnel chest based on indices of chest wall deformity and psychological state.

PURPOSE: We examined the surgical indications for funnel chest, taking psychological factors into consideration. METHODS: We assessed 36 young people with funnel chest who were seen as outpatients, including 31 boys and 5 girls aged from 1 to 22 years old. Respondents were asked whether they suffered psychological distress, and if they wanted surgery. The severity of the deformity was evaluated using the Vertebral Index (VI) and the Frontosagittal Index (FSI) calculated from chest roentgenograms. RESULTS: The VI in 11 patients without distress (23.7 +/- 4.1) was lower than that in 25 patients with distress (32.8 +/- 8.2), and the FSI in the patients without distress (33.5 +/- 5.3) was higher than that in the patients with distress (23.6 +/- 8.6). The VI in 19 patients who did not want surgery (26.9 +/- 7.9) was lower than that in 17 patients who did (33.5 +/- 7.5), and the FSI in the patients who did not want surgery (30.4 +/- 8.1) was higher than that in the patients who did (22.4 +/- 8.1). The distressed patients suffered many psychological problems, such as being the object of bullying. CONCLUSION: The severity of the deformity affected the patient's psychological state. We consider that a VI >28 or an FSI <28 are indications for surgery, based on the mean VI + SD and the mean FSI-SD of patients not suffering distress.

Pre-operative ultrasonographic diagnosis of biliary atresia--with reference to the presence or absence of the extrahepatic bile duct.

Our aim was to evaluate the efficacy of ultrasonographic (US) examination in the pre-operative diagnosis of biliary atresia (BA) with special reference to the presence or absence of extrahepatic bile duct. Thirty consecutive neonates and infants aged 8 to 169 days (mean: 62 days) suspected of having biliary atresia were examined pre-operatively in real time B-mode ultrasonography. We used a 5 or 7.5 MHz probe of micro convex type. Patients were fasted and sedatives administered. When the common bile duct was absent, we considered it a positive finding for BA diagnosis; if not, it was considered a negative finding. A definitive diagnosis of BA was confirmed at surgery by gross morphology or intra-operative cholangiography. US findings had a sensitivity of 83% (19 of 23 BA patients), a specificity of 71% (5% of 7 non BA patients) and an accuracy rate of 80%. The positive predictive value was 90% (19 of 21), while the negative predictive value was 56% (5 of 9). There were four false-negative cases. Two were BA cases with patent distal common bile duct, one was BA in which the hepatic artery was determined to be the common bile duct, and the other was a subtype of extrahepatic bile duct dilatation (the so-called, "correctable type"). We employed US criteria for visualization of the extrahepatic bile duct for pre-operative diagnosis of BA. US examination referring to the presence or absence of the extrahepatic bile duct is an effective and useful method for clinical survey.

Comparison of the Nuss procedure for pectus excavatum by age and uncommon complications.

BACKGROUND: We summarized our experience of the Nuss procedure for pectus excavatum with comparison by age and uncommon complications. METHODS: Twenty-three patients underwent the Nuss procedure. Their age ranged from 3 to 19 years old. The outcome was compared between two groups divided by age: teenagers (> or = 13 yrs old, n = 5, Group 1) and younger patients (n = 18, Group 2). RESULTS: Cosmetic results were significantly better, and the operating time and postoperative hospital stay in Group 2 were significantly shorter than in Group 1. Complications were more frequently seen in Group 1 than in Group 2. In all three younger patients whose bars were removed after 2 years, the ribs holding the bar were deformed. Uncommon complications occurred in two cases. In one case, pneumothorax occurred due to laceration by a fragment of wire after 12 months, and the fragment fell into the thoracic cavity. In another case, pneumothorax occurred due to injury by the port of a thin thoracoscope. CONCLUSION: The teenaged patients had more complications and poorer cosmetic results. Therefore, this operation should be performed before the teenage years. In younger patients with rapid growth, the bar should be removed less than 2 years to prevent restriction of costal growth.