title: Pectus excavatum in children: diagnostic significance for mitral valve prolapse.
abstract: Eighty-seven patients with pectus excavatum underwent cardiac examination and echocardiography (M-mode) to determine the diagnostic significance of pectus in children for mitral valve prolapse (MVP). Patients' ages ranged from 1 month to 18 years with a mean age of 5.4 years. Sixty-seven were males. Twenty of the 87 pectus patients (23%) had echocardiographic evidence of MVP, whereas 11 of these had auscultatory findings of a non-ejection click or late systolic murmur, and 4 had significant mitral insufficiency. Fourteen of the 77 patients (18%) with mild pectus, and 6 of the 10 patients (60%) with severe pectus had MVP. Two of the patients (3.4%) with mild pectus and 2 of the patients (20%) with severe pectus also had significant mitral insufficiency. Ten of the 23 patients (44%) older than 8 years of age and 10 of the 64 younger patients (16%) had MVP. Although MVP was present more frequently in females (30%) than in males (21%), the difference was not statistically significant. This study indicates the high incidence of MVP in children of 8 years of age and older, especially when pectus deformity is severe. This information is particularly helpful to heighten suspicion of MVP in children with pectus excavatum.
authors: Department of Pediatrics, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock 79430.
authors: J M
authors: JM
authors: Park
authors: S K
authors: SK
authors: Varma
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004452:Echocardiography; D005260:Female; D005660:Funnel Chest / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008945:Mitral Valve Prolapse / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology