Napoli – A significant turning point in pediatric surgery comes from Santobono Pausilipon in Naples. The hospital has become the only center in Campania to apply a new and innovative minimally invasive surgical technique for the treatment of funnel chest (pectus excavatum), a thoracic malformation that affects approximately 1 in 300-400 births, predominantly male.
Pectus excavatum, although in mild forms it can mainly represent an aesthetic and psychological problem, often experienced with embarrassment by adolescents, in its more serious manifestations it can also have important cardio-respiratory repercussions. Until now, corrective surgical techniques were considered rather invasive and not free from complications, sometimes even serious.
“We use a brilliant and less aggressive deformity correction technique, totally extrathoracic,” explained Dr. Ugo de Luca, Director of the UOC General Pediatric Surgery and Day Surgery of the Pausilipon Hospital and Director of the Department of Pediatric Surgery of the AORN Santobono-Pausilipon.
“The approach is through a small sternal incision and the positioning of a metal bar under the pectoral muscles, which is attached to a plate screwed directly to the sternum. This technique allows for immediate correction of the deformity and consolidation will be guaranteed by the persistence of the bar for at least 2-3 years, after which it can be removed.”
The results are already encouraging. “There are already three cases successfully treated with this particular method,” added Rodolfo Conenna, general director of the AORN Santobono Pausilipon. “These are adolescents between 13 and 15 years old who, after only two days of hospitalization, were able to return home.”
This innovation represents a crucial therapeutic option for many patients, often in adolescence, who until now were forced to turn to specialist centers in other regions. Santobono Pausilipon thus confirms itself as a point of reference for pediatric surgery in Campania, offering young people affected by this malformation the possibility of being treated close to home with a cutting-edge technique.
Article published by A. Carlino on June 13, 2025, at 20:25 PM
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The article is interesting and provides useful information about pectus excavatum. But I don't really understand how the minimally invasive technique works and whether there are any risks for patients. It would be helpful to have more details on the results obtained.