Surgical treatment of funnel chest

  The goal of surgical orthopedics is to relieve cardiopulmonary compression and improve cardiopulmonary function. To improve the appearance and relieve the negative inferiority complex of the child. To prevent the development of the “funnel chest sign” and to prevent scoliosis.  In infants, forceful breathing and crying can lead to temporary deformities, and for children under two years of age, due to weakness, soft bones and easy deformation of rib cartilage (rickets active), as long as there is no obvious cardiopulmonary dysfunction, conservative treatment should be given first, while observing whether there is any hope of self-correction.  If the symptoms and signs are significant above two years of age, surgical correction can be performed selectively. However, most scholars believe that the better age for surgical correction is 3 to 12 years old. Because the deformity is more limited at this age, the thoracic stress that causes scoliosis does not occur, and surgical shaping is easier and more effective. With the advancement of technology, surgery is becoming more and more minimally invasive and the indications for surgery are gradually relaxed. Patients not only undergo minimally invasive surgical treatment to improve cardiopulmonary function and prevent other deformities of the spinal thorax, but also to treat some of the psychological problems caused by the appearance of the deformity and the need for cosmetic treatment.