Symptoms of pectus excavatum

Pectus excavatum refers to the funnel shape formed by the sternum and adjacent costal cartilages. The degree of pectus excavatum varies, and the physical signs are also different, including forward shoulder tilt, arched back, protruding abdomen, and forward head extension. Mild pectus excavatum generally does not affect the normal physiological functions of the human body. Severe pectus excavatum can compress the heart and lungs, including shortness of breath after activity, fatigue, decreased exercise tolerance, repeated respiratory infections, chest pain, heart murmurs, wheezing, coughing, and affecting growth and development.

What department should I go to for funnel chest

Funnel chest can be treated by visiting the thoracic surgery department. Funnel chest is mainly caused by the inward depression of the middle and lower part of the sternum and the ribs on both sides, which forms a funnel-shaped chest deformity. This disease is a very common chest deformity in thoracic surgery. When going to the hospital's thoracic surgery department for examination and treatment, it is necessary to take appropriate treatment methods according to the severity of the funnel chest and the degree of compression of the heart. If the symptoms of funnel chest are relatively mild after chest CT examination, no special treatment is required. If the symptoms are severe and cause severe compression to the heart and lung function, it can be treated through surgery. General surgeries include sternal flip method, sternal lift method and minimally invasive Nuss surgery.

How to treat pectus excavatum with a plate

Pectus excavatum is the most common chest wall deformity in children, and is named after the funnel-like depression of the middle and lower sternum and the connected costal cartilage. Pectus excavatum not only affects the beauty of the child's chest and causes him to have an inferiority complex, but in severe cases it can also cause abnormal cardiopulmonary function, interfering with his normal life and study. The treatment of pectus excavatum is a long-term strategy, starting with the earliest removal of costal cartilage, sternal osteotomy, relaxation and traction of the subxiphoid tendon, and sternal elevation to improve the appearance of the chest. The disadvantages are large tissue damage, large amount of bleeding, long postoperative recovery time, and easy recurrence. The later improved Nuss procedure can achieve relatively satisfactory surgical results by implanting a steel plate for minimally invasive correction of the chest.