Minimally Invasive Repair of Pectus Carinatum in Patients Unsuited to Bracing Therapy

Evaluation of Thoracic Morphological Changes Using Chest CT in Patients with Congenital Pectus Carinatum Treated by the Modified Abramson Technique

Background

The Pectus carinatum is an outward protrusion deformity of the sternum and adjacent costal cartilages. It is the second most common congenital deformity of the anterior chest wall, commonly occuring in adolescents.

Objective

The aim of this study was to evaluate thoracic morphological changes using computed tomography (CT) imaging in patients with pectus carinatum treated via the modified Abramson technique at Viet Duc University Hospital from 2020 to 2023.

Methods

A retrospective cross-sectional study analyzed all cases of congenital pectus carinatum diagnosed, imaged via CT, and surgically treated using the modified Abramson technique at Viet Duc Hospital from January 2020 to December 2023.

Results

Among 115 patients (mean age: 13.6 ± 2.03 years), the majority presented with symmetrical deformities (70.4%). The average operative duration was 33.3 ± 8.3 minutes, and hospital stays ranged from 4 to 7 days (mean: 5.2 ± 0.90 days). No major postoperative complications were reported. Follow-up ranged from 11 to 48 months. Chest CT Scan reevaluation postoperatively in 69 patients showed significant improvement in thoracic indices: mean pre- and postoperative Haller index (HI) were 2.02 ± 0.20 and 2.46 ± 0.34, respectively. Sternal rotation angle averaged 2.81 ± 3.59, with 68/69 cases showing no or mild torsion. Postoperative asymmetry index (AI) averaged -0.014 ± 0.033.

Conclusion

The modified Abramson technique provides a minimally invasive and effective treatment for pectus carinatum, achieving significant improvements in thoracic morphology as evidenced by Haller index, asymmetry index, and sternal rotation angles assessed on chest CT.

An Aggregate Sternal Force-Deflection Model

Understanding the force-deflection behavior of the sternum is an important element in designing devices for implants for chest wall deformity repair. Human growth and variability makes a single measure of the stiffness difficult to determine. This work takes empirical data from the literature to develop aggregate sternal force-deflection models. Statistical methods were used to determine possible groupings based on patient age and the effect of gender. It was found that three age groups could be used, representing childhood (4-10 years), adolescence (11-19 years), and adulthood (26-53 years). Gender was found to have a statistical p-value of 0.068, 0.0611, and 0.012, respectively, in the proposed age groups. Jittering of the data was used to account for human variability and assumptions made in data comparisons. The jittered results followed that of the initial dataset. Childhood force-deflection behavior follows a relatively constant stiffness, adolescence experiences a growth period of increasing stiffness, and adulthood stiffnesses again begin to stabilize around a relatively constant value.

Minimally invasive repair of pectus carinatum by the Abramson method: A systematic review

BACKGROUND

The aim of this review is to provide an overview of the outcomes after minimally invasive pectus cartinatum repair (MIRPC) by the Abramson method to determine its effectiveness.

METHODS

The PubMed and Embase databases were systematically searched. Data concerning subjective postoperative esthetic outcomes after initial surgery and bar removal were extracted. In addition, data on recurrence, complications, operative times, blood loss, post-operative pain, length of hospital stay, planned time to bar removal and reasons for early bar removal were extracted. The postoperative esthetic result, was selected as primary outcome since the primary indication for repair in pectus carinatum is of cosmetic nature.

RESULTS

Six cohort studies were included based on eligibility criteria, enrolling a total of 396 patients. Qualitative synthesis showed excellent to satisfactory esthetic results in nearly all patients after correctional bar placement (99.5%, n = 183/184). A high satisfaction rate of 91.0% (n = 190/209) was found in patients after bar removal. Recurrence rates were low with an incidence of 3.0% (n = 5/168). The cumulative postoperative complication rate was 26.5% (n = 105/396), of whom 25% required surgical re-intervention. There were no cases of mortality.

CONCLUSIONS

Minimally invasive repair of pectus carinatum through the Abramson method is effective and safe. Its efficacy is demonstrated by the excellent to satisfactory esthetic results in 99.5% and 91.0% of patients after respectively correctional bar placement and implant removal. Future studies should aim to compare different treatment options for pectus carinatum in order to elucidate the approach of choice for different patient groups.

Ten-year experience with staged management of pectus carinatum: Results and lessons learned

INTRODUCTION

We report pectus carinatum management over a 10+year period.

METHODS

Staged management, with initial bracing and operation for failure or special circumstances, was employed. A newer brace and a minimally invasive operation for PC (the Abramson procedure) were introduced during the study period.

RESULTS

Of 695 consenting patients from 2008 to 2018, 265 (38%) were observed. Of 430 treated, 339 (79%) had bracing only; 65 (15%) underwent surgery without a trial of bracing, while 26(5%) underwent surgery after a failed attempt at bracing. Of 364 bracing patients, 144 (40%) were successful, 77 (21%) are ongoing, 25 (7%) failed, and 118 (32%) dropped out. Recurrence was noted in 17 (5%), an average 5.4 months later. Two (0.4%) overcorrected to pectus excavatum (PE). Successful patients experienced a 50% decrease in pressure of correction (POC) beginning one month after starting treatment. Brace failure patients did not. Reported compliance with brace utilization (hours/day) was similar. Surgery was required in 91 patients. Open operations were performed in 61 (67%), Abramson operations in 23 (25%), and Nuss procedure in 7 (8%) who developed excavatum over correction following bracing or who had mixed deformity, with excavatum one side of the sternum and carinatum on the other. Twenty-four (36%) of the surgeries for PC occurred after an attempt at bracing. All obtained good initial results by operation. No recurrence was noted after open operation and 3 (13%) after Abramson. Open complications included 1 (2%) infection. Abramson's operation required 11 (48%) revisions, 6 (26%) early bar removals, and had 3 (13%) infections.

CONCLUSION

Brace treatment for PC can be guided by pressure of correction, which fell by more than half in successfully treated patients. POC did not fall in patients who failed. If POC does not fall, surgery should be considered. Open repair of Pectus Carinatum is generally successful, while the Abramson operation has a significant rate of complications with the implants currently available in the U.S.

LEVELS OF EVIDENCE

Level III - Retrospective comparative study.

Comparison of Outcomes Between Anti-Nuss Operation and Modified Anti-Nuss Operation Using a Flexible Plate for Correcting Pectus Carinatum: A Retrospective Study

Introduction: The anti-Nuss procedure has gradually been found to have several shortcomings in clinical practice. Accordingly, our department previously designed and introduced a new steel plate. However, there is limited evidence regarding its safety and efficacy. Thus, we aim to compare the efficacy and safety of the conventional anti-Nuss operation with those of a modified anti-Nuss operation using a flexible plate.

Methods: Patients with pectus carinatum who underwent surgery between January 2014 and August 2019 were consecutively enrolled in this single-center, retrospective study. In all, 53 patients underwent the modified procedure using the new steel plate (new procedure group), whereas 43 underwent the conventional anti-Nuss procedure (traditional procedure group). Outcome analysis was performed using SPSS to compare the intraoperative and postoperative short-term outcomes.

Results: All patients in the new procedure group had shorter operation duration (75.23 ± 11.90 vs. 82.45 ± 9.30 min, p = 0.008), postoperative hospitalizations (3.42 ± 0.95 vs. 4.64 ± 1.53 days, p = 0.039), and plate removal surgery durations (40.60 ± 3.47 vs. 60.30 ± 9.75 min, p = 0.041) than patients in the traditional procedure group. There were no significant differences in the length of incision, postoperative Haller index, cost, postoperative surgical outcome, and incidence of complications between the two groups.

Conclusion: Our data reveal that the main clinical outcomes were similar for after anti-Nuss operation and modified anti-Nuss operation. However, the modified procedure for pectus carinatum had a shorter operation duration, postoperative hospitalization, and plate removal surgery duration.

Seasonal interest in pectus excavatum and pectus carinatum: a retrospective analysis of Google Trends data

Background

Individuals affected by chest wall deformities may search for information on these conditions on the web. Google data may reflect the global interest in health-related information. Our aim was to investigate the global trends in searches associated with the topics “Pectus excavatum” and “Pectus carinatum” using Google Trends.

Methods

We retrieved the global data from 1st January 2004 to 31st October 2019. We analyzed the relative search volume (RSV) for countries or areas with a no-low search volume. We compared differences in interest between seasons using the Kruskal-Wallis test with the post-hoc test.

Results

The median RSV for the pectus excavatum was equal to 58.00 (54.00–65.00) while for pectus carinatum 28.00 (23.25–31.00). The interest in pectus excavatum decreases on average by 0.98 RSV each year, while interest in pectus carinatum increased each year by 0.87 RSV. We observed the highest interest in analyzed topics during summer and the lowest during winter. The relative difference in interest between summer and winter was equal to 21.4% for pectus excavatum and 19.2% for pectus carinatum. Pectus excavatum was the most popular topic in n=51 countries or areas, while pectus carinatum in n=7 countries or areas/regions.

Conclusions

Globally, interest in pectus excavatum is higher than the interest in pectus carinatum that might reflect real-world prevalence. The interest in both topics shows seasonal variation. The Internet is an essential source of information on chest wall deformities. The medical professionals should provide quality content on pectus excavatum and pectus carinatum.

Repair of pectus carinatum, carinatum/excavatum complex patients with doubly double bar technique

Surgical correction is needed for patients with pectus carinatum who do not adapt to bracing therapy. We performed the doubly double bar technique for ten patients who did not adapt to bracing therapy for patients with pectus carinatum and/or carinatum/excavatum complex type. A complete correction was achieved for all patients, and there were no complications. Our initial experience suggests that the doubly double bar technique can be performed effectively for pectus carinatum and/or carinatum/excavatum complex type patients.

Minimally invasive repair of pectus carinatum: a retrospective analysis based on a single surgeon's 10 years of experience

OBJECTIVES

Over the past decade, minimal invasive surgery for correction of pectus carinatum has gained worldwide acceptance. This study reviews our clinical experience with minimally invasive repair of pectus carinatum (MIRPC) since 2008.

METHODS

Between 2008 and 2018, 101 patients (77 male, 24 female) underwent correction of pectus carinatum with the MIRPC technique. The mean age of the patients was 14.7 ± 4.8 (3-38) years. Over an 8 years' experience we slightly modified the original Abramson technique. All patients presented with cosmetic complaints and all had a flexible chest wall on "compression test". Early follow-up was on postoperative day 15 and 30.

RESULTS

The mean operative time was 42.1 ± 16.9 min. The mean hospital stay was 4.2 ± 0.9 days. Postoperative complications included pneumothorax (n = 2, 1.9%), wound infection (n = 2, 1.9%), skin perforation (n = 2, 1.9%), intolerable pain (n = 1, 0.9%), skin hyperpigmentation (n = 1, 0.9%), and overcorrection (n = 1, 0.9%). Initial postoperative results were excellent in all patients. The bars were removed at a median of 24.8 ± 4.5 months in 44 of 101 patients. 43 of 44 (97.7%) patients whose bar were removed reported excellent results.

CONCLUSIONS

MIRPC is a feasible procedure with low morbidity and excellent cosmetic results in the treatment of pectus carinatum deformities in selected patients.