The quality of life after bar removal in patients after the nuss procedure for pectus excavatum

Background: The goal of this study was to evaluate the outcome of patients who had the Nuss procedure for repair of pectus excavatum. Methods: Thirty-nine patients (26 male, 13 female) of 61 (63.9%) who had bar removal after the Nuss procedure agreed to participate in an interview. All patients and their parents were asked to complete a questionnaire. Results: The mean age of the patients was 6.8 ± 3.23 years at the time of the Nuss procedure, 9.1 ± 3.54 at bar removal, and 12.0 ± 3.28 when the questionnaire was completed. The scores for satisfaction with the procedure, sense of social belonging, and well-being increased after the Nuss procedure according to the responses of the patients and their parents. However, the scores did not significantly differ after bar removal compared to after the Nuss procedure. Patients (4.1 ± 1.08) and parents (4.1 ± 1.02) reported that they were satisfied with the final result and their responses did not significantly differ (P = 0.498). However, the surgical team's score for overall satisfaction was 4.5, which was higher than the patients' and/or parents' scores (P = 0.019). Conclusion: The Nuss procedure had a positive impact on the patients' and parents' quality of life. However, the scores before and after bar removal did not differ.