[Indication and operative technique in chest deformities (author's transl)].

From 1956-1980, 1112 thoracic deformities were operated on in the Surgical Clinic of the University of Erlangen. These are divided into 11 different types, according to whether a funnel chest (4 types), a pigeon chest (4 types), combinations of these, or a split-sternum was present. The indication for operation is given in patients where the depression is more than 25% of the a/p diameter of the chest. Scolioses - deformities of the spinal column - are found in 40-50%, depending on the type of funnel chest. They are rarely found in small children, but are fixed and irreversible in teenagers and older patients. Reconstruction of the thorax is carried out through a double-segment chondrotomy parasternal and at the apex of the funnel, using a horse-shoe-shaped metal support. Average length of stay in hospital is 7-10 days. Alternative procedures are Rehbein's operation, or Ravitch and Hecker's procedure. Postoperative physiotherapy is extremely important. Late results, on average 10.5 years after operation, showed recurrence of the funnel in 2.1% of cases, partial recurrence, ugly scars and cartilage nodules in 6.7%.