title: Minimally invasive repair of pectus excavatum: a single institution's experience.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Children's Mercy Hospital, University of Missouri at Kansas City School of Medicine, Kansas City 66408, USA.
authors.forename: K A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: R K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Woods
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Sharp
authors.forename: G K
authors.initials: GK
authors.lastname: Gittes
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wade
authors.forename: K W
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Ashcraft
authors.forename: C L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Snyder
authors.forename: W M
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Andrews
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Murphy
authors.forename: G W
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Holcomb
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016063:Blood Loss, Surgical; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005660:Funnel Chest / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007902:Length of Stay; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000209:etiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies