title: Sternal cleft, a rare congenital anomaly. Report of the first Tunisian case.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Sternal cleft is an uncommon visually dramatic congenital anomaly of the chest wall. It is resulting of failure of the two lateral mesodermal sternal bars fusion by the eight weeks of gestation. Superior defects are the commonest forms, usually isolated.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Clinical and surgical aspects of sternal cleft are presented. The advantages of early surgery in the neonatal period are developed.
  
  
  METHODS
  We report the first Tunisian case of a superior sternal cleft associated to haemangioma in a newborn boy. Scanning shows non-appearance of manubrium at the upper part of sternum. Sternal bars showing a U-shaped incomplete sternal cleft. Surgical repair consisted of reconstructing a new sternum from sternal bars and resection of haemangioma. The patient had good aesthetic and functional results.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The appearance of a child with its heart bulging through its chest wall is very disturbing to parents. Early surgery is most easy and most comforting.
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Surgery Department, Habib Thameur Hospital, Tunis, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Walid
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Sayed
authors.forename: Youssef
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hellal
authors.forename: Nejib
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kaabar
authors.forename: Mohamed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ben Hariz
authors.forename: Kamel
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ben Fadhel
authors.forename: Najla
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ben Jaballah
authors.forename: Ahmed
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Maherzi
authors.forename: Sadok
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sayed
mesh_terms: D002675:Child, Preschool; D006391:Hemangioma / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011859:Radiography; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000150:complications; D013249:Sternum / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery; D035441:Thoracic Wall / Q000002:abnormalities / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery