ABSTRACT
Management of chest wall deformities has undergone extensive change in recent years. In some patients, treatment with non-surgical methods is possible both for pectus excavatum and pectus carinatum. Choosing the correct approach for each patient becomes a central question for the surgeon. Pectus excavatum is the most common chest wall deformity in infants, children, and adolescents. About two-thirds of children with pectus excavatum present with symptoms of shortness of breath during exercise and rapid development of fatigue. Scoliosis occurs in conjunction with pectus carinatum in 15% of children, which implies a diffuse abnormality in connective tissue development. The minimally invasive operation developed by Abramson is most successful in patients with a flexible chest. Poland's syndrome is a constellation of anomalies including absence of the pectoralis minor muscle, absence of the costal portion of the pectoralis major muscle, hypoplasia of the breast and nipple or complete absence of the breast and nipple, and brachysyndactyly of the digits.
