title: Current management of pectus excavatum: a review and update of therapy and treatment recommendations.
abstract: Pectus excavatum (PE) is a posterior depression of the sternum and adjacent costal cartilages and is frequently seen by primary care providers. PE accounts for >90% of congenital chest wall deformities. Patients with PE are often dismissed by physicians as having an inconsequential problem; however, it can be more than a cosmetic deformity. Severe cases can cause cardiopulmonary impairment and physiologic limitations. Evidence continues to present that these physiologic impairments may worsen as the patient ages. Data reports improved cardiopulmonary function after repair and marked improvement in psychosocial function. More recent consensus by both the pediatric and thoracic surgical communities validates surgical repair of the significant PE and contradicts arguments that repair is primarily cosmetic. We performed a review of the current literature and treatment recommendations for patients with PE deformities.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Mayo Clinic Arizona, Scottsdale, AZ 85054, USA. Jaroszewski.dawn@mayo.edu
authors.forename: Dawn
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Jaroszewski
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Notrica
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: McMahon
authors.forename: D Eric
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Steidley
authors.forename: Claude
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Deschamps
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D017548:Echocardiography, Transesophageal; D004954:Esthetics; D005080:Exercise Test; D005260:Female; D005660:Funnel Chest / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000209:etiology; D008297:Male; D019060:Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures; D011320:Primary Health Care; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D012307:Risk Factors; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D055815:Young Adult