Clinical Results and Patient Satisfaction after Pectus Excavatum Repair Using the MIRPE and MOVARPE Technique in Adults: 10-Year Experience

Background: The minimally invasive repair of pectus excavatum (MIRPE) procedure as a standard procedure in children is rarely described in adolescents, adults, or in patients with asymmetric deformities. For these challenging cases, the authors have adopted a semiopen approach (minor open videoendoscopically assisted repair of pectus excavatum, or MOVARPE) with additional skin incisions and osteochondrotomies. This descriptive application study was set to assess whether both procedures are effective and safe in adolescents and adults, to determine whether they have similar complication and recurrence rates, and to analyze the overall outcome in nonpediatric patients. Methods: A retrospective review of 69 patients (45 male and 24 female patients; mean age, 20.8 years) who underwent either technique from August of 2002 to June of 2012 was performed. Intraoperative and postoperative complications, clinical outcome, and patient satisfaction were evaluated. Results: The mean patient follow-up after bar removal in 55 patients was 27.3 months (p = 0.624). In the MIRPE group, two bar dislocations, one rupture of the internal mammary artery, and one case of pneumonia were observed. Mild recurrence of deformity after bar removal was present in four cases. Satisfaction outcomes were excellent in 70 percent in the MOVARPE group and 55.1 percent in the MIRPE group (p = 0.0182). Conclusion: The MOVARPE technique is a hybridized, semiopen modification of the MIRPE procedure that seems to be advantageous, particularly in adolescents, adults, and those with asymmetric pectus excavatum deformities, for overcoming resistant skeletal rigidity with low complication rates, high patient satisfaction, and superior aesthetic results.