title: Pulmonary function in pectus excavatum patients before repair with the Nuss procedure.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Whether the origin of symptoms in pectus excavatum patients (Pex) is related to reduced pulmonary function or impaired cardiovascular performance is debatable. However, pulmonary function testing (PFT) is still part of the evaluation prior to surgical repair in Pex. The purpose of this study was to corroborate our hypothesis that the majority of Pex that qualified for surgery present preoperatively with normal or close to normal PFT.
  
  
  METHODS
  After institutional review board approval, preoperative PFT data of Pex who underwent surgical repair were analyzed retrospectively: total lung capacity (TLC), vital capacity (VC), functional residual capacity, forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) and maximal expiratory flow at 25% of FVC (MEF25).
  
  
  RESULTS
  82 patients aged from 9 to 27 years (average, 15 years) underwent PFT. A restrictive pattern (VC<80%) was observed in 45%, an obstructive pattern (FEV1 < 75 %) in 35%, and a normal total lung capacity in 62% of the Pex. No significant correlation was noted between the increasing severity of the Haller index and the PFT.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Adolescent Pex without relevant respiratory symptoms have nearly a normal lung function. We suggest to skip PFT from the routine preoperative assessment in asymptomatic Pex.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Pediatric Surgery , Children's Hospital of Basel (UKBB) , Basel , Switzerland.
authors.forename: Sergio B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Sesia
authors.affiliation: b Department of Pediatric Surgery , Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS), Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters (CHKD) , Norfolk , VA , USA.
authors.forename: Robert J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Obermeyer
authors.affiliation: a Department of Pediatric Surgery , Children's Hospital of Basel (UKBB) , Basel , Switzerland.
authors.forename: Johannes
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mayr
authors.affiliation: a Department of Pediatric Surgery , Children's Hospital of Basel (UKBB) , Basel , Switzerland.
authors.forename: Frank-Martin
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Haecker
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005660:Funnel Chest / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Haller index; MIRPE; Nuss procedure; Pectus excavatum; lung capacity; preoperative; pulmonary function testing