Abstract

PINEDO ONOFRE, Javier Alfonso; MARTINEZ LOPEZ, Camilo Antonio; GUEVARA TORRES, Lorenzo  and  AGUILLON LUNA, Arturo. Cosmetic correction of pectus excavatum: A case presentation. Rev. Inst. Nal. Enf. Resp. Mex. [online]. 2005, vol.18, n.2, pp.117-122. ISSN 0187-7585.

Pectus excavatum is the commonest congenital defect of the anterior chest wall, accounting for 90-92% of all cases, the rest is distributed between pectus carinatum, cleft sternum, Cantrell's syndrome and Poland's syndrome. In Mexico, pectus excavatum occurs in 1 of 1,000 live births. This deformity is barely noticed at birth but becomes more evident during childhood and may constitute a functional, psychosocial and/or aesthetic problem for the adolescent. The pathophysiology involved is an abnormal growth of costal cartilages. Following the fundamental principle that any symptomatic congenital deformity claims the surgeon's attention, corrective surgery is recommended early in life, when the surgical manipulation is made in a small field. We present the case of an 18 year old, 1.9 m tall, basketball player, who had a modelled silicon implant inserted beneath the fasciomuscular layer, as a cosmetic repair of his deformity.

Keywords : Sunken chest; congenital chest wall deformity; pectus excavatum; surgical repair of pectus excavatum.