Body measurement changes in adults with pectus excavatum after the Nuss procedure: a study of 272 patients

Background: Pectus excavatum (PE) is the most common congenital abnormality of the chest wall. Most patients with PE have slim bodies. Some studies have been conducted on the physical growth of children and adolescents who underwent the Nuss procedure. This study aimed to evaluate body measurement changes in adult patients with PE after the Nuss procedure. Methods: A total of 272 adult PE patients, who underwent the Nuss procedure and pectus bars removal from August 2014 to December 2020, were evaluated retrospectively. Body measurement [body height (BH), body weight (BW), and body mass index (BMI)] of the patients were collected before Nuss repair and after bar removal. We used the interquartile range (IQR) to identify and exclude outliers. Associations between changes in body measurement and clinical and radiological features were evaluated. Results: The BH, BW and BMI showed significantly increased after pectus bar removal, compared to pre-Nuss procedure parameters (BH 173.8 +/- 5.9 cm vs. 173.9 +/- 5.9 cm, P < 0.001; BW 60.3 +/- 8.1 kg vs. 61.1 +/- 8.8 kg, P = 0.005; BMI 19.9 +/- 2.2 kg/m2 vs. 20.1 +/- 2.4 kg/m2, P = 0.02). The same result were observed in the male subgroup, the HI >= 4 group and the male subgroup within the HI >= 4 group. Conclusions: The BH, BW and BMI were significantly increased after completing surgical correction of PE using the Nuss procedure, particularly in young males and patients with more pronounced deformities.