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Eur J Cardiothorac Surg 2006;29:1-5
© 2006 Elsevier Science NL

Nuss procedure improves the quality of life in young male adults with pectus excavatum deformity

Royal Brompton Hospital, Department of Thoracic Surgery, Sydney Street, London SW3 6NP, UK

Received 9 March 2005; received in revised form 5 September 2005; accepted 7 September 2005.

^_* Corresponding author. Tel.: +44 20 73518558/9; fax: +44 20 73518560. (Email: P.Goldstraw{at}rbh.nthames.nhs.uk).

Objective: The Nuss procedure is a minimally invasive pectus repair. This study represents an attempt towards exploring the changes in quality of life and overall satisfaction in young male adults who underwent a Nuss procedure. Methods: We have included 20 male patients with a median age of 18 years (range: 14–37 years). We have used two specific questionnaires: the two-step Nuss evaluation Questionnaire modified for Adults (NQ-mA) and a new Single Step Questionnaire (SSQ). The data was analysed using Wilcoxon signed rank test to determine statistical significance of differences, with a <0.05 level of significance. Spearman's correlation coefficient was used to assess the correlation between the answers. Results: The primary indication for surgery was cosmetic. Both questionnaires were adequate to measure disease-specific quality-of-life changes after surgery and were able to confirm the positive impact of surgery on both the physical and the physiological well-being of young adults. Statistical analysis of the scoring of the individual questions and the total score of individual patients revealed a statistically significant improvement (p < 0.05) following surgery. The SSQ had a highly significant correlation to the NQ-mA questionnaire (correlation coefficient = 0.682, p = 0.001). Overall, the SSQ revealed a statistically significant improvement (p = 0.001) in self-esteem and a high level of satisfaction following the Nuss procedure. Only two patients fell into a low satisfaction group. Conclusion: The Nuss procedure has already been shown to have a positive impact on both the physical and psychosocial well-being of children who are suffering from pectus excavatum deformity. We have shown a similar positive impact in young male adults, in the short term.

Key Words: Pectus deformity • Nuss procedure • Quality of life • Outcome

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