Successful surgery at Nanoori Hospital for a 12-year-old with pectus excavatum

Nanoori Hospital announced on the 17th that they had successfully completed surgery for a 12-year-old child with asymmetric pectus excavatum. Director Hyungjoo Park of the Pectus Excavatum Center (Thoracic Surgery) at Nanoori Hospital led the successful surgery on A, a 12-year-old residing in Thailand, on June 12. A suffered from a wide-ranging pectus excavatum where the cartilage and ribs connected to the breastbones were both sunken, causing frequent shortness of breath, and was experiencing stress due to cosmetic concerns. To seek treatment for their child, A's parents immediately flew to Korea and visited Nanoori Hospital. A was diagnosed with the Grand Canyon type of pectus excavatum, where both the breastbones and the right ribs were sunken. In particular, there was a complex asymmetrical pectus excavatum condition where the right side of the chest wall was depressed, and the left side protruded, causing the depressed breastbones to exert pressure on the heart and lungs, necessitating surgery. On that day, the pectus excavatum surgery was performed using Park's Technique, developed by Director Hyungjoo Park, which utilizes three correction rods to flatten the asymmetrically sunken breastbones, known as the 'XI rod surgery.' First, Director Park secured space for the correction rods by lifting the sunken sternum using a specially designed crane for pectus excavatum procedures developed by Director Park, then he safely inserted the correction rods using a custom-made curved thoracoscope to avoid the heart and lungs. The correction rods were positioned in an XI shape to unfold the sunken breastbones and correct the entire chest to its anatomically normal shape. Both ends were securely fixed with bridging plates to ensure the correction rods did not move. The surgery lasted about an hour, and the results were successful. Director Hyungjoo Park of the Thoracic Surgery Department at Nanoori Hospital stated, "Through the XI rod technique, A's anterior chest wall was successfully and symmetrically corrected." He added, "We safely and successfully completed the surgery by using a radiographic imaging device (C-arm) to verify the position of the inserted correction rods and check for any bleeding in the operating room." Furthermore, he mentioned, "After appropriate pain management, we expect the patient to be discharged in three to four days following the surgery." Last month, Nanoori Hospital opened a Thoracic Surgery Department and the world-renowned Pectus Excavatum & Pectus Carinatum Specialty Surgery Center by inviting Director Hyungjoo Park, a global authority on chest wall deformity surgery. The Pectus Excavatum Center, equipped with a specialized chest wall deformity surgery system, provides comprehensive services, including diagnosis, examinations, and surgical reservations. Director Park has performed 70% of all pectus excavatum surgeries in Korea, and he holds the record for the highest number of pectus excavatum and pectus carinatum surgeries conducted worldwide, with over 6,500 cases to date.