Evaluation of Thorax and Mediastinum Volumes in Patients with Pectus Excavatum by Stereological Methods

Abstract

Background: In this study, we aimed to assess the pre-and postoperative thoracic and mediastinal volumes in patients who received minimally invasive pectus excavatum repair for pectus excavatum. Methods: Between January 2017 and January 2022, a total of 51 patients (41 males, 10 females; mean age: 15.5 +/- 3.5 years; range, 9 to 33 years) who underwent received minimally invasive pectus excavatum repair were retrospectively analyzed. The pre-and postoperative (after bar removal) thoracic computed tomography scans of the patients were evaluated and the mediastinal, lung, and thoracic volumes were calculated using stereological techniques. Results: The mean pre-and postoperative Haller Index was 3.87 +/- 1.32 and 3.28 +/- 0.86, respectively. The mean preoperative lung volume-to-preoperative thoracic volume ratio was 79.52 +/- 5.15% and the mean postoperative lung volume-to-postoperative thoracic volume ratio was 78.86 +/- 6.05%. The mean preoperative mediastinal volume-to-thoracic volume ratio was 20.48 +/- 5.15%, and the mean postoperative mediastinal volume-to-thoracic volume ratio was 21.14 +/- 6.05%. Conclusion: Our study results showed no statistically significant increase in the thoracic and mediastinal volumes calculated using stereological methods, while the Haller index values regressed in all patients. These findings suggest that while there may not be a qualitative increase in thoracic and mediastinal volume, there is a quantitative increase in the anteroposterior plane.