Methods: Between 2000 and 2004, 30 patients (21 males, 9 females; mean age 15.1±3.4 years; range 5 to 20 years) underwent surgical correction for pectus excavatum and carinatum deformities. Nineteen patients (63.3%) had a carinatum, 11 patients (36.7%) had an excavatum deformity. The most common symptom was shortness of breath in 17 patients (56.7%). Six patients (20%) had nonspecific T- and ST-wave changes on electrocardiography and 10 patients (33.3%) had mitral valve prolapse on echocardiography. Scoliosis was present in three patients (10.3%), one of which was severe. Surgical repair was performed with a modified Ravitch procedure in all the patients. The mean follow-up period was 12±3 months.

Results: The length of hospital stay ranged from four to 21 days, with a mean of 4.8±1.4 days and 9.8±4.9 days for carinatum and excavatum deformities, respectively. Early postoperative complications were wound infection in one patient and pneumothorax in another. One patient experienced intermittent attacks of tachycardia for postoperative 24 hours. All the patients were completely satisfied with the operation. The deformity recurred to a moderate degree in one patient in the postoperative sixth month.

Conclusion: The modified Ravitch procedure provided a normal sternal position and a normal appearance of the anterior thoracic wall in patients with pectus excavatum and carinatum deformities, with low morbidity, short postoperative hospital stay, cost-effectiveness, and high patient satisfaction.