Patient Evaluation Guidelines

The following is a guide for patients coming to CHKD for treatment of pectus excavatum.

Local Patients (Within 100-150 miles of CHKD)

Testing prior to your first consultation is not necessary or recommended. We will examine your child at the first appointment and determine whether testing is needed. If necessary, we will schedule all of the testing for a different day at Children's Hospital of The King's Daughter's.

Out of Town Patients (Outside 150 miles of CHKD)

11 years of age and under

Testing prior to your child's initial appointment is not recommended. The first appointment will include a complete physical, evaluation of the chest deformity, and detailed explanations regarding pectus excavatum, the pectus evaluation process, and surgery. Testing, if needed, will be scheduled closer to the time of surgery.

Older than 11 years of age

Testing should be completed in your home town prior to your first visit to CHKD. Start by making an appointment with your child's pediatrician or primary care physician; he or she should help you facilitate the required testing at appropriate facilities in your hometown. Once testing is completed, mail the information back Attention: Nuss Center (see patient information and forms below). Once all of the testing and completed questionnaires have been received, one of our doctors will review the information. The Nuss Center Coordinator will then call to let you know whether your child is a candidate for surgery.

The required information includes:

• Pectus questionnaire
• Medical questionnaire (demographic information)
• Copy of insurance card; front and back
• Copy of thoracic CT (testing guidelines) or thoracic MRI on disk and written report (testing guidelines)
• Copy of echocardiogram, report and measurements (testing guidelines)
• Copy of pulmonary function tests; raw data (testing guidelines)
• Copy of diagnostic EKG (testing guidelines)
• Copy of metal allergy testing (testing guidelines)

Once testing has been completed and the results reviewed, an appointment for a consultation can be made. Consultations and surgeries may be scheduled for the same trip. Consultations can be scheduled prior to the completion of testing, but surgery cannot be scheduled and a full evaluation cannot be completed.

If you have any questions, please feel free to call our office at (757) 668-6877 (NUSS).

Patient Information and Forms

The following documents provide more detailed information about the Nuss Procedure, patient rights and our privacy practice. 

Patient Information

• Nuss Insurance Information
• Billing and Insurance Information
• Your Child's Visit
• Brief Overview of Pectus Excavatum
• What to Expect About the Surgery
• Pain Relief After Surgery
• Notice of Privacy Practices

Forms

Please click print and complete these forms prior to your appointment. You may fax or mail these documents to Pediatric Surgery-Nuss Center prior to your appointment:

Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters
Pediatric Surgery-Nuss Center, 5th Floor
601 Children's Lane
Norfolk, VA 23507
FAX: (757) 668-8533
Email: pectus@chkd.org  

• Pectus Patient Evaluation
• Registration Form
• Patient Questionnaire
• Treatment and Payment Consent

Pectus Carinatum

Testing prior to a Pectus Carinatum consult is not necessary. The carinatum deformity is not treated initially with surgery. We will evaluate the severity of the Carinatum in the office and determine whether testing and or bracing is necessary.

Please review the Frequently Asked Questions section for more information.