Preoperative Echocardiography in Pectus Excavatum: High Rate of Incidental Findings, Low but Clinically Important Yield of Significant Anomalies

jpedsurg.org

Routine preoperative echocardiograms (ECHOs) are frequently obtained in patients undergoing minimally invasive repair of pectus excavatum (MIRPE), but the benefit and necessity of preoperative screening remain debated. In this study, we sought to quantify the proportion of preoperative ECHOs that had clinically significant findings.

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Article · Sep 2025 · 1 min read

In brief

This study evaluates the clinical utility of routine preoperative echocardiography in patients undergoing minimally invasive pectus excavatum repair. While incidental findings are common, the research quantifies how often these screening ECHOs reveal truly significant cardiac anomalies that impact surgical planning.

Routine preoperative echocardiography before MIRPE surgery remains controversial with unclear clinical benefit.
High incidence of incidental findings on preoperative ECHOs, but most are not clinically significant.
Small but important subset of patients have significant cardiac anomalies that may alter surgical planning.
Risk-benefit analysis needed to determine which pectus excavatum patients truly require preoperative cardiac screening.
Selective rather than universal echocardiography may be more appropriate for MIRPE candidates.

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