Inside Tract: What is Pectus Excavatum? | Cincinnati Children's 

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GlobalCastMD whiteboard explainer video: What is Pectus Excavatum?
Rebeccah Brown, MD: I’m doctor Rebeccah Brown and I’m a pediatric surgeon at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.
Victor Garcia: And I’m Vic Garcia, also from the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, and I’m here to talk to you about Pectus Excavatum.
Dr. Brown: Pectus Excavatum is a depression of the sternum such that the heart is compressed. It occurs very commonly. It occurs in about 1 in 300-400 people, and I bet you know someone that has pectus.
Dr. Garcia: This is something that if left unattended could actually affect the function of the heart and the lungs and really the ability of your child to enjoy their life.
Dr. Brown: While about 80% of patients will have symptoms related to their Pectus Excavatum, some people have no symptoms at all. And the reason for this is that kids have young healthy hearts that can compensate for any pressure on their heart. And also children have a much more flexible chest wall. Once the diagnosis of pectus Excavatum is made the patient will undergo a series of tests including a cardiac MRI, pulmonary function test, cardiopulmonary exercise test and also allergy testing to determine the type of bar. Once the testing is completed we will determine whether or not the patient is a candidate for surgery.
Dr. Garcia: So at Cincinnati Children’s our preferred operation is the minimally invasive repair of the pectus excavatum known as the Nuss procedure.
Dr. Brown: The Nuss pectus repair involves two small incisions on the side of the chest. And then we pass one or two or sometimes even three bars across the chest flip them over and then the chest is elevated.
Dr. Garcia: What we uniquely bring to this is an approach that we constantly are working to make this a safer and less painful operation. And so we’re pushing the envelope at every opportunity that we have. So that at the end of the game your life your child’s life is transformed.
Dr. Brown: If you are concerned that you or your family member may have pectus excavatum please contact our chest wall center using the information provided on the screen. Thank you.