Sternal cleft, a rare congenital anomaly. Report of the first Tunisian case.
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.
Sayed
Walid
W
Pediatric Surgery Department, Habib Thameur Hospital, Tunis, Tunisia.
Hellal
Youssef
Y
Kaabar
Nejib
N
Ben Hariz
Mohamed
M
Ben Fadhel
Kamel
K
Ben Jaballah
Najla
N
Maherzi
Ahmed
A
Sayed
Sadok
S
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