Ninety-five patients underwent the Nuss procedure between July 2007 and February 2008 at 2 institutions. Chest ultrasonography, specifically of the bones and cartilage, was performed 1 day before and 1 week after the operation.
Postoperatively, all patients showed various degrees of deformation from the second to sixth cartilages bilaterally. The cartilages were not fractured. Of these patients, 28 (29.5 % ) had significant changes, including acute angulation of the costochondral junction and rib fractures near the pectus bar. These changes were associated with increased age (P < .01) and the degree of postoperative sternum elevation (P < .01). The pectus index and sex were not significant predictors of rib damage.
The Nuss procedure created significant stress and strain over the deformed cartilages. Approximately 29 % of the patients showed localized, self-limited costochondral changes via chest ultrasonography.