CHEST WALL DEFORMITIES
A chest wall deformity is a structural abnormality affecting the anterior chest wall. Chest wall deformities are classified as either one of two types: Pectus excavatum or pectus carinatum. It is also interesting to note that pectus excavatum occurs much more frequently than carinatum (4:1).1 While this diagnosis may seem scary, chest wall deformities are a fairly common congenital (there at birth) condition. While often noticed at birth, I had NO idea that I had pectus, because my chest looked completely normal all throughout my childhood. Pectus usually becomes more severe and diagnosed during puberty when the bones and cartilage are growing at a rapid pace. I will talk more about how I realized there was something wrong with me later on in my blog. For me, my symptoms started almost a year before I noticed the huge crater in my chest.
Most patients are born with only one chest wall anomaly. However, some patients diagnosed with a pectus disorder may also have other health conditions. Some other disorders associated with pectus are: Marfan syndrome, Poland syndrome, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, and scoliosis. Scoliosis is the most common diagnosis, as 20-30% of pectus patients also have scoliosis.2 Chest wall deformities range in severity from mild to severe, but not all cases will require surgical correction. You can read more about surgery under the treatment tab.