[Modified Ravitch operation in the treatment of patients with funnel chest].

The characteristic traits of funnel chest have been presented and the clinical results of surgical treatment in 13 patients by the modified Ravitch method have been discussed. Nine results were excellent and four results were good. A marked improvement of general physical function of the patients due to the increase of respiratory system efficiency and a good cosmetic effect were found. The modification of the operation consists in additional longitudinal osteotomy of the sternum, suturing of the manubrium to the sternum shaft, non-suturing of the rib cartilages after resection, filling of the through-like groove in the reposited sternum with the fragments of the resected rib cartilages, and immobilization of the fragments of the longitudinally osteotomized sternum that are inserted crosswise with several (usually three) Kirschner wires, based on the thorax.