Review of the technical variants in the repair of pectus excavatum

Many technical variations have been introduced for the surgical correction of pectus excavatum (PE). The authors reviewed the literature to provide a detailed overview of the general principles of pectus excavatum repair, bar insertion and removal techniques.

A comprehensive review of the literature was undertaken.

A summary of the different approaches and techniques of pectus excavatum repair, bar insertion and removal is presented. Various procedures, their advantages and disadvantages, the techniques employed and associated complications are discussed in depth.

Pectus excavatum repair has undergone many changes since its first description. Despite previous descriptions of evolving procedures, comparative overviews of surgical variations, outcomes after pectus bar insertion and removal techniques are rare in the literature. The authors reviewed the literature to summarize the previous and current understanding of techniques and highlight the variations.