Sternal Elevation for Severe Pectus Excavatum Accompanied by Severe Scoliosis: A Case Report

Abstract

A 10-year-old boy with Marfan syndrome underwent sternal elevation for severe pectus excavatum accompanied by severe scoliosis. Although the Nuss procedure was attempted, manual elevation of the sternum was impossible due to great resistance. Intraoperative change to the modified Ravitch procedure brought sufficient correction of the depressed sternum. The modified Ravitch procedure might be optimal for severe pectus excavatum accompanied by severe scoliosis because it generates no corrective stress on the thoracic vertebrae, which may cause acceleration of the existing scoliosis.