Exercise performance testing in patients with pectus excavatum before and after Nuss procedure

Area of Science:

• Thoracic surgery
• Pediatric surgery
• Pulmonary function testing

Background:

• Pectus deformities affect thoracic structure and potentially lung function.
• Minimal invasive repair is a common surgical approach for pectus deformities.
• Assessing post-operative functional outcomes is crucial for patient management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of minimal invasive pectus repair on lung function.
• To assess changes in exercise performance following pectus repair.
• To determine if functional improvements occur after implant removal.

Main Methods:

• Prospective study of 59 patients (average age 16 years).
• Pre-operative, post-operative, and post-implant removal spirometry and bicycle ergospirometry.
• Measurements included forced vital capacity (FVC), performance capacity (PC), and relative oxygen uptake, alongside BMI and body fat determination.

Main Results:

• Post-operative FVC decreased significantly but recovered after implant removal.
• Performance capacity and relative oxygen uptake showed significant reductions.
• These functional declines correlated with increased BMI and body fat; oxygen uptake per lean body weight remained unchanged.

Conclusions:

• Pectus repair led to a transient decrease in FVC, resolving post-implant removal.
• Reduced oxygen uptake and performance capacity were associated with increased BMI and body fat.
• The study found no improvement in lung function or exercise performance after minimal invasive pectus repair.