New Technique for Correcting Funnel Chest

A new procedure is being used to repair a chest-wall deformity called "funnel chest.” Called the Nuss method, the procedure leaves muscles and cartilage intact, and instead relies on the body's natural remodeling forces to bring the chest wall forward.

The surgeon levers the breastbone upward with a steel bar, which is curved to conform to the desired shape of the chest and holds everything in place. There is little scarring and the patient requires minimal bed rest following the procedure. The more traditional method of correcting funnel chest involves removing cartilage and muscle from the ribs where they attach to the breastbone.

Dr. Don Nakayama, chief of pediatric surgery at North Carolina Children's Hospital (Chapel Hill, USA), is an expert in funnel chest surgery. "The Nuss method is just as effective, and it's less radical than the older method. It requires a third of the operating time and allows patients to resume full activity more rapidly,” he noted. Dr. Nakayama recommends surgical correction between the ages of six and 10. "The ribs are more malleable at this age,” he said, "so the chances for a good correction are even better.”



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NC Children's Hospital