Objective: The Nuss procedure is a minimally invasive pectus repair. This study represents an attempt towards exploring the changes in quality of life and overall satisfaction in young male adults who underwent a Nuss procedure.
Methods: We have included 20 male patients with a median age of 18 years (range: 14-37 years). We have used two specific questionnaires: the two-step Nuss evaluation Questionnaire modified for Adults (NQ-mA) and a new Single Step Questionnaire (SSQ). The data was analysed using Wilcoxon signed rank test to determine statistical significance of differences, with a <0.05 level of significance. Spearman's correlation coefficient was used to assess the correlation between the answers.
Results: The primary indication for surgery was cosmetic. Both questionnaires were adequate to measure disease-specific quality-of-life changes after surgery and were able to confirm the positive impact of surgery on both the physical and the physiological well-being of young adults. Statistical analysis of the scoring of the individual questions and the total score of individual patients revealed a statistically significant improvement (p<0.05) following surgery. The SSQ had a highly significant correlation to the NQ-mA questionnaire (correlation coefficient=0.682, p=0.001). Overall, the SSQ revealed a statistically significant improvement (p=0.001) in self-esteem and a high level of satisfaction following the Nuss procedure. Only two patients fell into a low satisfaction group.
Conclusion: The Nuss procedure has already been shown to have a positive impact on both the physical and psychosocial well-being of children who are suffering from pectus excavatum deformity. We have shown a similar positive impact in young male adults, in the short term.