A simple technique for removing the Nuss bar with one stabilizer: the lateral approach.

The removal of the substernal bar after the Nuss operation is not always an easy and fast maneuver. Only a few different technical solutions have been described. In the original Nuss technique, the patient was lying on dorsal decubitus and rotated on the side during the procedure. The Noguchi technique avoids the rotation of the patient, but requires two incisions and straightening of the bar before pulling it out the thorax. Recently, another technique was proposed, avoiding the need of straightening the bar, but it is feasible only if two operative beds in a large operative room are available. We propose another approach for the removal of the bar: The patient is lying on the lateral decubitus, only one incision is performed, and the bar is pulled out along the thoracic wall. Twenty-one bars were removed by using the present approach without any complications. The advantages of our approach on the previous techniques are the single incision, no need of rotating the patient, straightening the bar, or having two operative beds. Our approach is not feasible when metallic stabilizers have been used on both sides, but in our experience, this was not necessary in order to stabilize the bar.