Dr. Dawn Jaroszewski

This is a follow-up review 4 months post-op for Nuss by Dr. J. While I do not regret having the Nuss completed at Mayo by Dr. J, the end result is not what was intended. The first 2 months the chest was healing well and the pain management plan was fantastic. After 2 months the center point of my chest began pointing outwards. I completed the required 2 month x-rays, which was promptly sent off to Dr. J's office. After a month of waiting, I received a call from someone on Dr. J's team confirming that the Nuss procedure over-corrected the pectus excavatum creating just the opposite pectus carinatum. I was terribly disappointed and frustrated that all the pain and expense to correct the excavatum only resulted in carinatum. Evidently this happens in about 20% of the Nuss procedures, and I was the unlucky one to experience this result. I've still yet to hear back from Dr. J directly now that they've had my x-rays for 2 months, and not sure what corrective action is possible at this point.

Again, I do not regret having the Nuss procedure done at Mayo Clinic by Dr. J and her fantastic team. But the post-op follow up has been disappointing, and the end result of now having pectus carinatum is frustrating. When preparing for the Nuss, please do extensive research and know it's not a perfect procedure. Every chest is unique and Mayo & Dr. J are the leaders, but the Nuss needs to be continually improved to ensure consistent results long term.

I found Dr J. to be excellent in most aspects, especially while I was in the hospital. I feel my post-op, home recovery was not nearly as quick as I was led to believe (getting back to work, etc) and it was often difficult to converse with Dr. J. herself after I returned home. Unfortunately most primary care physicians don't have experience with this surgery, so they are only guessing when it comes to post-op situations like flared ribs, pain, swelling, etc. That leaves the patient with a lot of questions of "is this normal?", "do I need to worry about this?", or "should I be experiencing this?"