Pectus excavatum

Abstract

One of the more common chest wall anomalies seen in children is pectus excavatum. Although some studies suggest a physiologic impact of this anomaly on cardiac function during exercise, this remains somewhat controversial. Regardless, a number of children are symptomatic from either the appearance of the deformity or from the standpoint of tolerance to exercise. Most are relieved of these symptoms with surgical repair. Several different operations have been utilized for repair of this anomaly, but two techniques now are the predominant methods in use today. These are the modified Ravitch procedure and the Nuss procedure. Both have been shown to provide satisfactory results.