Pain management after pediatric minimally invasive repair of pectus excavatum: a narrative review

Background and Objective: Pectus excavatum is a common congenital chest wall abnormality characterized by a concave appearance of the chest, and minimally invasive repair of pectus excavatum (MIRPE) is the surgical treatment of choice. A rapidly growing field of research is pain management in children undergoing MIRPE, with many shifts in practice occurring over the last decade. The primary objectives of this narrative review are to describe current methods of perioperative pain management and the development of enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) to improve the experience of patients undergoing MIRPE. Methods: Recent literature was found using the PubMed database using combinations of keywords: pectus excavatum, pediatric, pain management, minimally invasive repair of pectus excavatum (MIRPE), and enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS). Literature search was conducted by the authorship team and an independent, certified librarian. Articles published in English from 2010-2024 were the focus of our review; however, older literature was included when appropriate. Key Content and Findings: Perioperative pain management for patients undergoing MIRPE continues to evolve and improve patient outcomes. While evidence supports the use of more traditional analgesia, such as opioid-based or epidural analgesia, it also supports the trend toward contemporary multimodal pain control via pre-, intra-, and post-operative strategies including opioid-sparing analgesics, intercostal nerve cryoablation (INC), intercostal nerve blocks (INBs), and single or continuous infusion regional anesthesia techniques. Conclusions: Patients undergoing surgical repair of pectus excavatum benefit from the use of contemporary pain control techniques discussed in this review, with a growing body of literature supporting the use of INC, regional pain blocks and multimodal analgesia. Additionally, ERAS pathways and institutional protocols are discussed that are currently transforming postoperative MIRPE pain management and are being implemented widely.