These are the results of compression and displacement of the heart and secondary lung compression. A new, minimally invasive and safe way for correction of pectus excavatum . In the past, a variety of radical procedures were advocated. However , a new technique for correction of pectus excavatum has been developed by Dr. Donald Nuss, a pediatric surgeon at Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters and Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, Virginia. Refined over a ten-year period, this minimally invasive procedure for the correction of pectus excavatum requires no rib incision nor removal and no fracture of the sternum.
Blood loss is minimal and recovery time much shorter.
Preoperative screening and evaluations. After a complete health history, a thorough physical exam, chest measurements, and photographs, children whose condition is considered severe enough to warrant surgery are sent for further evaluation of their cardiac status, pulmonary function, and a CT scan. These studies help determine whether surgery is indicated, since not every child requires surgical correction. The operation for correction starts with general anesthesia and the placement of an epidural catheter for the management of pain after the operation. Two lateral incisions are made on either side of the chest for insertion of a curved steel bar under the sternum.