Minimally invasive Nuss procedure for pectus excavatum repair in 7 patients

This study retrospectively analyzed 7 patients with severe pectus excavatum who underwent thoracoscope-assistant Nuss procedure from July 2006 to June 2008.All the participants were followed up for 1 to 24 months(mean,15.7 months).No intraoperative or postoperative complications were found in any of the patients.The operating time was 40 to 55 minutes.Mean hospital stay was 5 days (range,4 to 7days).Our experience with the minimally invasive repair of pectus excavatum might be encouraging.thoracoscope-assistant Nuss could effectively treat pectus excavatum in children,associated with minimal invasion,lower morbidity,less hospital stay,and considerable improvement in physiologic and psychological function. Key words: Funnel chest; Thoracic surgery,video-assisted