Can surgical repair for pectus excavatum contribute to lung growth?

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: This study investigates whether the surgical correction of chest deformity is associated with the growth of the lung parenchyma after surgery for pectus excavatum. METHODS: Ten patients with pectus excavatum who were treated by the Nuss procedure were examined. The preoperative and postoperative computed tomography (2.5 ± 1.2 years after surgery) scans were performed, and the Haller index, lung volume and lung density were analyzed using a three-dimensional image analysis system (SYNAPSE VINCENT, Fujifilm, Japan). The radiological lung weight was calculated as follows: lung volume (ml) × lung density (g/ml). RESULTS: The average age of the 10 patients (men 8; women 2) was 13.8 years (range: 6-26 years). The Haller index was significantly improved from the preoperative value of 5.18 ± 2.20 to the postoperative value of 3.68 ± 1.38 (P = 0.0025). Both the lung volume and weight had significantly increased by 107.1 ± 19.6% and 121.6 ± 11.3%, respectively, after surgery. CONCLUSIONS: A significant increase in the weight of the lung after surgical correction suggests that the growth of the lung parenchyma is associated with the correction of chest deformity in younger patients with pectus excavatum.