title: Straight Back Syndrome.
abstract: Straight back syndrome is a rare condition usually associated with mitral valve prolapse and "pseudo-heart disease" caused by a very narrow anterior-posterior chest due to the loss of the normal dorsal curvature of the thoracic spine. More rarely, the narrowed upper chest may compress the trachea causing extrinsic tracheal obstruction. If severe enough, this requires operative repair by effectively opening up the upper chest by a variety of techniques to allow the trachea enough room to avoid compression.
authors.affiliation: Division of Thoracic Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA, 02114, USA. Electronic address: cdwright@partners.org.
authors.forename: Cameron D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Wright
mesh_terms: D000402:Airway Obstruction / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008371:Manubrium / Q000601:surgery*; D009139:Musculoskeletal Abnormalities / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D019637:Orthopedic Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D013577:Syndrome; D013904:Thoracic Vertebrae / Q000002:abnormalities*; D014135:Tracheal Stenosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery
keywords: Chest wall deformity; Straight back syndrome; Tracheal obstruction