Pectus excavatum in adult women: Repair and the impact of prior or concurrent breast augmentation

Background: Women present with pectus excavatum five times less frequently than men. Adult women may have additional, associated cosmetic factors, including hypoplastic or asymmetric breasts, or prior augmentation. The authors evaluated the impact of prior or concurrent cosmetic breast surgery in an adult female cohort undergoing repair of pectus excavatum deformity. Methods: A retrospective review was performed of women (≥18 years old) who underwent pectus excavatum repair at a single institution from January of 2010 to September of 2013. Results: Pectus excavatum repair was performed on 47 women with a median age of 35 years (range, 18 to 63 years). Mean pectus severity index was 6.2 (range, 3.1 to 16). All patients had physiologic symptoms as the primary purpose for seeking repair. Twenty patients (43 percent) presented with existing implants or the desire for implants at the time of repair. Fifteen patients (32 percent) had a history of implant placement including prior breast augmentation (n = 14) and/or pectus implant (n = 4). Concurrent augmentation (n = 5), breast implant exchange (n = 8), and/or removal of chest wall implants (n = 4) was performed during repair. Morbidity included one implant-related hematoma. Complications and hospital stay were not significantly different for patients undergoing primary repair alone versus those with prior or concurrent augmentation. Conclusions: Breast cosmesis was a concern in nearly half of adult women presenting for pectus excavatum repair. The authors' experience suggests neither prior nor concurrent breast augmentation increases the risk of complications in repair. The authors recommend that cosmetic breast surgery be performed concurrently with pectus excavatum repair.