title: Anterior chest wall: frequency of anatomic variations in children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the frequency of anterior chest wall variations in children.
  
  
  METHODS
  The computed tomographic (CT) images of 200 consecutive infants and children (114 boys and 86 girls; mean age, 10.5 years; age range, 3 months to 19 years) who underwent chest CT during a 20-month period were evaluated for chest wall variations. Children who had undergone chest wall surgery or were suspected of having a chest wall abnormality were excluded. The frequency of chest wall anomalies was compared with age and sex (Fisher exact test).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The CT scans of 65 children (33%) depicted one or more variations in the anterior chest wall: titled sternum (n = 29), prominent convexity of anterior rib or costal cartilage (n = 19), prominent asymmetric costal cartilage (n = 20), well-defined paracostal subcutaneous nodule (n = 4), mild pectus excavatum (n = 4), or mild pectus carinatum (n = 4). The frequency of these findings did not vary significantly with age (P = .96) or sex (P = .36).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Variations in the anterior chest wall are common, occurring in one-third of children, and should be considered normal. These asymptomatic variations should not be considered alarming when palpated at physical examination.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA.
authors.forename: L F
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Donnelly
authors.forename: D P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Frush
authors.forename: J N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Foss
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: O'Hara
authors.forename: G S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Bisset
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002356:Cartilage / Q000002:abnormalities / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D005660:Funnel Chest / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D012272:Ribs / Q000002:abnormalities / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D013249:Sternum / Q000002:abnormalities / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D013896:Thoracic Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D013899:Thoracic Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D013909:Thorax / Q000002:abnormalities*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed