How do I know if my child has pectus excavatum?
What Are the Signs & Symptoms of Pectus Excavatum?
- problems tolerating exercise.
- limitations with some kinds of physical activities.
- tiredness.
- chest pain.
- a rapid heartbeat or heart palpitations.
- frequent respiratory infections.
- coughing or wheezing.
Why does my son have a sunken chest?
Pectus excavatum (PECK-tuss ex-kuh-VAW-tum) is a condition that causes a child’s chest to look sunken or “caved in.” It happens because of a defect in the tough connective tissue (cartilage) that holds the bony part of the ribs to the breastbone. The cartilage pushes the breastbone (sternum) inward.
What does pectus excavatum look like?
Pectus excavatum is a condition in which a person’s breastbone is sunken into his or her chest. In severe cases, pectus excavatum can look as if the center of the chest has been scooped out, leaving a deep dent.
What age does pectus excavatum appear?
Pectus excavatum may not be noticeable at birth. By the age of two or three years, however, it is apparent. It can get worse during childhood and puberty.
Is a sunken chest bad?
Hollow or sunken chest, the most common congenital deformity of the chest wall affecting one in 300 to one in 400 children, is rarely life-threatening and virtually all children can have successful surgical repairs.
Does pectus excavatum go away with age?
Pectus excavatum often worsens with age and during growth spurts that occur in late childhood and adolescence.
Does pectus excavatum go away?
Pectus excavatum will likely not go away. However, you can perform exercises to minimize its effects on your day-to-day life.
How do you fix a sunken chest?
Pectus excavatum can be surgically repaired, but surgery is usually reserved for people who have moderate to severe signs and symptoms. People who have mild signs and symptoms may be helped by physical therapy. Certain exercises can improve posture and increase the degree to which the chest can expand.
Is sunken chest more than a cosmetic problem?
When babies are born with a sunken breast bone, called funnel chest or pectus excavatum, many physicians tell the parents it is a primarily cosmetic problem that will improve with age, but this may not be the case. Surgical repair of funnel chest can be successful, improving endurance and even asthma symptoms in some patients.
How to fix sunken chest?
Also known as “sunken chest” or “funnel chest,” pectus excavatum can be corrected with the minimally invasive surgical technique called the Nuss procedure or with traditional open surgery, known as the Ravitch procedure.
What causes sunken chest?
This condition is also called sunken chest. The exact cause of funnel chest is not known. It may be caused by overgrowth of the tissue that connects the ribs to the breastbone. The abnormal tissue may push the breastbone in.
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