What is the treatment technique chosen for mild funnel chest?

  Single-port thoracoscopic funnel chest correction is the leading minimally invasive surgical treatment method in the international arena. This technique is an improvement of the NUSS surgical technique, which only requires a 1-2 cm incision on the right side of the child’s chest wall and no incision on the left side of the chest wall, and the surgery does not require a penetrator, reducing the damage to the body. The surgery takes a short time, about 10 minutes, and is minimally invasive, which is also more conducive to the surgeon in charge’s control of safety; moreover, the patient’s recovery after the surgery is quick, with no incision in the anterior chest and a beautiful appearance, and he or she can participate in normal sports activities after discharge.  The symptoms of funnel chest vary in severity, and the treatment method also differs. Severe funnel chest causes serious deformity of the patient’s thorax and requires surgery for correction, while patients with mild symptoms of funnel chest can generally take conservative treatment methods, and daily exercise and care will reduce the patient’s symptoms and avoid the aggravation of funnel chest symptoms. However, mild funnel chests that do not compress the heart and lungs can be operated on without surgery, unless then, there is a requirement for plastic surgery, and if there is a requirement for plastic surgery, mild ones can also be operated on.  The harm of funnel chest is related to the degree of thoracic deformity of the patient, the more severe the deformity, the greater the harm caused. Patients with funnel chest with mild deformity can have no obvious symptoms and can be treated without haste. Parents can take their children to do chest expansion exercises to enhance their respiratory function, or do push-up exercises in the morning and evening. The training method for children with funnel chest can make the child’s chest recover better. If the funnel chest is found to be gradually aggravated during regular review, it is necessary to choose the appropriate time for surgery, and generally speaking, surgery can significantly improve the appearance of the child’s chest.