Surgical Treatment of Funnel Chest

Lee, Jong Ho; Jung, Seung Hyuck; Kim, Byung Yeol

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Funnel chest is one of the most common anomaly of chest wall, which is manifested by depression of sternum and costal cartilage. Popular operative methods were Ravitch operation and Wada operation. MATERIAL AND METHOD: From 1983 to 1996, 21 cases of funnel chest were corrected surgically in the department of thoracic surgery, National Medical Center. Investigated age and sex distribution, combined anomaly,clinical symptom, degree of correction and complication, postoperative satisfaction. We used 2 different surgical methods, one was Wada & its variants(17 cases), the other was Ravitch and it variants(4 cases). Most of operative indications were cosmetic problems. RESULT: The pre-operative Welch index was 4.188, but this index decreased to 3.46 after the operations.(p=0.046) The degree of correction was higher in Wada & it variant operation than the modified Ravitch operation.(p=0.54) Their results were satisfactory in 20 patients, while unsatisfactory in 1 patient because of a k-wire fracture. There was no recurrence of chest wall depression or postoperative death during the OPD follow up period.
CONCLUSION
We recommend Wada operation in symmetric and small degree of depressive chest wall deformity in preand post school age.