Changes in resting pulmonary function testing over time after the Nuss procedure: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Abstract Background Pectus excavatum, the most common congenital chest wall deformity in pediatric patients, leads to pulmonary dysfunction. There is no consensus regarding the effectiveness of the Nuss procedure for recovering pulmonary function. In this meta- analysis, we focused on the changes that occur in pulmonary function after the Nuss procedure. Methods We performed a literature search in the MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane library and PubMed databases. The included studies were required to contain pulmonary function tests with results adjusted to predicted values both before and after the Nuss procedure. The key outcomes of interest in this analysis were pulmonary function measured as forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC). Subgroup analyses were performed based on time since surgery and the mean ages of the patients when they underwent surgery by forest plots and meta-regressions. Results Thirteen studies involving 465 participants were included in this review. The standard mean difference (SMD) observed in FEV1 and FVC after surgery were 0.17 (95% CI, 0.01–0.33, p = 0.04) and − 0.18 (95% CI, − 0.41–0.06, p = 0.14), respectively. The overall meta-regression SMD of FEV1 and FVC by time since surgery were 1.21 (95% CI, 1.04–1.41, p = 0.020) and 1.38 (95% CI, 1.05–1.83, p = 0.027), respectively. We found evidence of a temporal relationship between time at which pulmonary function tests were performed after surgery and predicted FEV1 and FVC values. The SMD of FEV1 (0.26, p = 0.012) was slightly higher in group evaluated more than 2 year after initial surgery. Conclusions Abnormal resting pulmonary functions tests performed prior to surgery showed an initial depression after surgery. The FEV1 of patients slightly increased at 2 year post surgery compared with the baseline. Further studies with longer term follow-up are still needed to determine if pulmonary function could improve to normal after surgery. Levels of Evidence Level of evidence: 4 (based on lowest level of article analyzed in meta-analysis/systematic review). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]