Comparative characteristics of the efficiency of different methods of operational treatment for pectus excavatum in children: a multicenter study

Background. Congenital malformations of the chest are observed in 1%–4% of the population, and the most common among these is pectus excavatum (90%). Aim. We aimed to conduct a retrospective multicenter study to compare the effectiveness of various methods of operative removal of pectus excavatum in children. Material and methods. We retrospectively analyzed the results of the surgical treatment of funnel-like deformity of the thorax in children conducted in clinics of pediatric surgery in seven regions of Russia (1,226 patients). The ratio of boys to girls in the study population was 2.2:1. The study population was divided as per their age into the following groups: 4–7 years (n = 180, 14.7%), 8–14 years (n = 731, 59.6%), and > 14 years (n = 315, 25.7%). The average age at which most children were operated was 11.83 ± 1.24 years. All children underwent a standard preoperative laboratory examination, including a general blood test, urine tests, a biochemical blood test, a hemostasiogram; radiographic diagnostic methods were used with the calculation of the Gizycka index; functional methods of investigation, such as electrocardiography, spirography, and radioisotope scintigraphy of the lungs were also used. Children with second- or third-degree pectus excavatum underwent surgical treatment almost exclusively. The symmetrical forms of the pectus excavatum were more prevalent. In most cases, the main pathological course was complicated. Results and discussion. The operated patients were divided into the following 3 groups: the first (n = 62): operations with the resection of the curved cartilages and external fixation of the sternum-rib complex (Bairov’s operation), the second (n = 374): thoracoplasty with the resection of warped cartilages using internal metal fixators by Timoshchenko, Ravitch, Paltia, Kondrashin), and the third (n = 790): minimally invasive operations without resection with internal fixation (Nuss operations: original and modified). In the first group, favorable results of surgical treatment were noted in 80.6% of the patients, satisfactory results were observed in 6.5%, unsatisfactory results were seen in 12.9%, and the overall effectiveness of operative correction was 87.1%. In the second group, good results of surgical treatment were recorded in 88% of the patients, satisfactory in 6.4%, and unsatisfactory in 5.6%; the overall efficiency of operative correction was 94.4%. In the third group, good results of surgical treatment were recorded in 95.3%, satisfactory in 3.8%, and unsatisfactory in 0.9%; the efficiency of operative correction was 99.1%. Conclusion. Today, the authors consider acceptable the operations by Timoshchenko and Paltia for complex of indicators, the optimal operation is Nuss