Pectus excavatum
From the Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia that anyone can change
Pectus excavatum is a medical problem. The sternum (middle of the chest) is pushed into the chest. This makes the chest look sunken in. It is also called a "chest bowl" and a "dent".
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[change] Causes
Doctors do not know why some people have the dent. They think it might be caused by a bad gene from the parent. It is also linked to syndromes (illnesses) that effect other parts of the body.
[change] Numbers
Pectus excavatum happens in about 1 in every 150 children.[1]
[change] Surgery
The dent can be fixed by a doctor. There are 4 different ways of fixing the chest:
[change] Nuss Procedure
The Nuss Prodcedure was created by Doctor Nuss from Norfolk in Virginia. A metal bar is put into the chest; the bar holds the chest up.
[change] Suction Cup
A vacuum bell, also called a suction cup, can be used to fix pectus excavatum. The cup is placed on the chest and all the air is removed, this pulls up the chest.
[change] Ravitch
The Ravitch technique is from the 1950s. It involves cutting out part of the chest, placing a bar in the chest, and having the bone grow back. Most doctors do not use the Ravitch because it causes much blood loss.
