Life-threatening complications and mortality of minimally invasive pectus surgery

[Experience with Wang procedure for treatment of pectus excavatum in young children]

OBJECTIVE

To review the experience with Wang procedure for treatment of pectus excavatum in young children.

METHODS

The clinical data of 21 children with a mean age of 3.3 ± 1.1 years (ranging from 1.5-6 years) undergoing Wang procedure for pectus excavatum were analyzed. A longitudinal incision (1 to 2 cm) was made in the front of the xiphoid, and two tunnels were created using steel bars beneath the muscles on two sides of the chest wall. The fibrous tissue between the diaphragm and the sternum was dissociated, and the steel wires were sutured through the deformed chest wall. After the steel bar was placed in the tunnels, the wires were pulled and fixed in the middle of the bar, and the incision was sutured.

RESULTS

All the operations were performed using 3 wires and 1 steel bar. The operation time was 25 to 51 (38.1 ± 9.6) min with an intraoperative bleeding volume of 5 to 10 (7.1±1.5) mL. The time of hospitalization of the patients ranged from 6 to 10 days (mean 8.1±1.3 days). In all the patients, the incision healed smoothly without serious pain or obvious complications. All the patients were followed up for 1 to 13 months after the operation. During the follow- up, no recess recurred and no such complications as bar displacement or transposition occurred. According to the evaluation criteria after pectus excavatum operation, 13 cases had a total score of 9, and 8 had a total score of 8. The overall effect was satisfactory, and there were no cases rated as basically satisfactory or unsatisfactory.

CONCLUSIONS

Wang procedure is a good option for treatment of pectus excavatum in young children.

Back to the future: a case series of minimally invasive repair of pectus excavatum with regular instruments

OBJECTIVE

Minimally invasive repair of pectus excavatum (MIRPE) is a surgical treatment for PE. During the procedure, a specialized introducer is used to tunnel across the mediastinum for thoracoscopic insertion of a metal bar. There have been reported cases of cardiac perforation during this risky step. The large introducer can be a dangerous lever in unskilled hands. We set out to determine the safety and feasibility of using regular instruments (i.e., not relying on special devices or tools) to create the retrosternal tunnel during MIRPE.

METHODS

This was a preliminary study of MIRPE with regular instruments (MIRPERI), involving 28 patients with PE. We recorded basic patient demographics, chest measurements, and surgical details, as well as intraoperative and postoperative complications.

RESULTS

Patients undergoing MIRPERI had Haller index values ranging from 2.58 to 5.56. No intraoperative complications occurred. Postoperative complications included nausea/vomiting in 8 patients, pruritus in 2, and dizziness in 2, as well as atelectasis, pneumothorax with thoracic drainage, pleural effusion, and dyspnea in 1 patient each.

CONCLUSIONS

In this preliminary study, the rate of complications associated with MIRPERI was comparable to that reported in the literature for MIRPE. The MIRPERI approach has the potential to improve the safety of PE repair, particularly for surgeons that do not have access to certain special instruments or have not been trained in their use.

Vacuum bell treatment of pectus excavatum: An early North American experience

PURPOSE

Conservative treatment of pectus excavatum with a vacuum bell device may be an attractive alternative to surgical repair. We describe an early North American experience with this device.

METHODS

Prospectively maintained chest wall clinic registries from two institutions were reviewed to identify pectus excavatum patients ≤21 years treated with the vacuum bell from 2013 to 2017. Multivariate linear regression was used to compare mean improvements in deformity-depth and Haller Index between groups of patients based on age and usage metrics (hours/day and days/week).

RESULTS

Thirty-one patients with a median age of 14 years received treatment with the device. Mean follow-up duration was 18 months. Median depth and Haller Index at treatment onset were 2.3 cm and 3.9, respectively. Improvements in deformity-depth were superior with device usage >2 h/day (p < 0.01) and daily use (p < 0.01). After adjusting for compliance, younger age of treatment onset was associated with greater improvement in Haller Index but not deformity depth.

CONCLUSION

Our prospective early North American experience found the vacuum bell to be a potential alternative to surgical treatment for pectus excavatum. Longer usage periods in a daily frequency are associated with best results.

TYPE OF STUDY

Treatment study; case series with no comparison group.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level IV.

Elastic stable chest repair and its hybrid variants in 86 patients with pectus excavatum

Background

Complex and mature funnel chest deformities are traditionally managed with open surgical procedures. Elastic stable chest repair (ESCR) has been used successfully and safely for relapse corrections. Does pure plate osteosynthesis in ESCR allow comparable corrective potency and implant safety as hybrid methods with metal bars?

Methods

Data from 86 patients with open funnel chest correction between 2011 and 2015 were analyzed in this retrospective study. Exclusion criteria included being under 12 years of age, and having a history of septic wound healing disorder or other malignant diseases. Main groups consisted of ESCR and hybrid techniques, subgroups were primary and recurrence correction. Correction results and follow-up examinations at six and 12 weeks and at 1 year were statistically analyzed.

Results

A total of 38 ESCR and 48 hybrid methods were analyzed. Bar implantation was required in 77% (recurrence 34%) of patients. All patients received plates with different combinations e.g., longitudinal-sternal, costosternal and costo-sterno-costal. In all groups, follow-up uptake showed a funnel chest correction result at the anatomical level with healthy values according to the Haller index (ESCR 4.36-2.84, hybrid 6.99-2.74, P<0.001). No material dislocations were observed in any subgroup.

Conclusions

ESCR and hybrid techniques represent promising and safe therapeutic approaches.

Factors determining the complications in Nuss procedure

Background

This study aims to share our experiences in complications developing in patients who underwent Nuss procedure and the management of these complications.

Methods

In the study, files of 59 patients (50 males, 9 females; mean age 17.6±5.1 years; range, 2.5 to 33 years) who were applied Nuss procedure for pectus excavatum in our clinic between July 2007 and May 2016 were retrospectively assessed. Patients" age, gender, surgical method-complications and hospitalization durations were recorded. Fisher"s chisquare test and logistic regression analysis were used for data evaluation.

Results

Nuss procedure was performed in all patients without severe complications such as death, organ injury or massive hemorrhage. The most frequently observed postoperative earlyperiod complication was minimal pneumothorax (n=16, 27.1%), while bar dislocation was most frequently observed in the lateperiod (n=5, 8.3%).

Conclusion

Being male and/or over 23 years of age were determined as risk factors for complication development after Nuss procedure. Still, being a minimally invasive and manageable approach with its success in correcting the deformity, short operation duration, and low complication rates, Nuss procedure can be safely performed in selected patients.

Hemidystrophic Thorax Mimicking Scoliosis

Background:

We regularly use Angle of Trunk Rotation (ATR) measurements for scoliosis screening and also for clinical follow-up of our scoliosis patients under treatment. In some patients, when ATR measurements exceed the screening threshold but without a significant degree of curvature on the X-ray (Cobb angle), a Hemidystrophic Thorax (HDT) is diagnosed. The purpose of this paper was to present a case series of patients with this kind of thoracic deformity because this may be mimicking scoliosis to a significant degree.

Materials and Methods:

This case series is a consecutive series of patients where the first author detected a hemidystrophic thorax instead of or in combination with scoliosis. A 3D scan of the trunk was made and adjusted to the coordinates in order to achieve an upright orientation of the upper trunk. The scan was scaled in order to determine certain anatomic landmarks, as performed in preparation for bracing. The scan was cut horizontally at the xiphoid level and the plane at this level was analysed visually in order to detect deformations that were different to the typical scoliotic deformations in the horizontal plane.

Results:

Seven cases were analysed and described in more detail.

Conclusion:

The condition of HDT may lead to significant rib humps that mimic scoliosis. According to our case series, mild scoliosis can also be associated with HDT. HDT, according to the cases presented in this study, seems to be a relatively benign deformity. Long-term observations are necessary before a final conclusion can be drawn with respect to prognosis.

Complications associated with the minimally invasive repair of pectus excavatum

The minimally invasive pectus excavatum repair (Nuss repair) is performed by pediatric general surgeons and pediatric and adult thoracic surgeons around the world. Complications related to pediatric surgical procedures are always a major concern for surgeons and their patients, and as with all surgery, especially pectus surgery, complications can be life-threatening. The purpose of this article is to discuss early and late complications of pectus excavatum surgery and potential preventive strategies to minimize them.

Nuss Procedure for a Patient with Negative Haller Index

Introduction  Minimally invasive repair for pectus excavatum (MIRPE) is controversial in extremely severe cases of pectus excavatum (PE) and an open repair is usually favored. Our aim is to describe a case of a patient with an extremely severe PE that underwent a minimally invasive approach. Case report  An 8-year-old girl with severe sternum depression was assessed. She had a history of exercise intolerance, nocturnal dyspnea, fatigue, and shortness of breath. Chest computed tomography showed that sternum depression was posterior to the anterior vertebral column; therefore, Haller and correction index could not be measured. Spirometry indicated an obstructive ventilation pattern (forced expiratory volume in 1 second = 74.4%), and echocardiogram revealed a dilated inferior vena cava, mitral valve prolapse with normal ventricular function. After multidisciplinary committee evaluation, a MIRPE approach was performed. All symptoms had disappeared at the 3-month postoperative follow-up; the desired sternum shape was achieved and normalization of cardiopulmonary function was observed. The Nuss bars were removed after a 2-year period. After 18-month follow-up, the patient can carry out normal exercise and is content with the cosmetic result. Conclusion  Nuss procedure is feasible in our 8-year-old patient. In this case, both the Haller and correction index were not useful to assess the severity of PE. Therefore, under these circumstances, other radiologic parameters have to be taken into consideration for patient evaluation.

Lung Middle Lobe Laceration Needing Lobectomy as Complication of Nuss Bar Removal

Minimally invasive procedure for the treatment of pectus excavatum as described by Nuss has been used from 1987. The bar initially introduced blindly is now introduced under thoracoscopic control to increase safety of the procedure. It is usually removed two to three years after its insertion in a one-day procedure. Complications of the bar removal are rare but potentially serious. We report the case of a serious complication which occurred immediately after the Nuss bar removal. A 15-year-old boy underwent a Nuss procedure for a severe pectus excavatum without relevant complication. The bar has been removed two years after its insertion in a minimally invasive procedure. Unfortunately, he developed in the immediate postoperative period a hemopneumothorax due to a right middle lobe laceration which required a middle lobectomy by thoracotomy for hemostasis. Lesions of intrathoracic organs are a rare but potentially serious complication of the removal of the Nuss bar. We now propose to perform this procedure under thoracoscopic control to avoid it. In our experience, adhesions between the bar and the pleura are always present, and those with potential risk for bleeding or inducing intrathoracic organ lesions are suppressed prior to the bar removal.