Article Text

Download PDFPDF
Surgical correction of pectus excavatum using a retrosternal bar.
  1. C G Sbokos,
  2. I K McMillan,
  3. C W Akins

    Abstract

    Pectus excavatum is a progressive congenital deformity for which surgical correction is an established procedure. The method of correction using a stainless steel retrosternal bar to maintain the sternum elevated is, in our experience, the most successful procedure. Successful surgical correction usually requires resection of all deformed costal cartilages with transverse osteotomy of the anterior table of the sternum and internal fixation using a bar anterior to the rib cage but behind the sternum. In the last 13 years 118 patients with this deformity have been evaluated and 72 patients have been surgically corrected by the described procedure. Of these 72 patients, 65 (90 percent) have had excellent or good cosmetic and functional results. The best results were obtained when the child was operated on between the ages of 6 and 10 years, the poorest results in those operated on under the age of 3 or over the age of 20. For a satisfactory result the bar must be left in for at least six months; the best results were obtained in those patients in whom the bar was left in for at least one year. No serious complications have followed the use of this technique.

    Statistics from Altmetric.com

    Request Permissions

    If you wish to reuse any or all of this article please use the link below which will take you to the Copyright Clearance Center’s RightsLink service. You will be able to get a quick price and instant permission to reuse the content in many different ways.