Review Article
Narrative review of therapeutical options in pectus carinatum in young patients
Abstract
Background and Objective: Pectus carinatum (PC) is the one of the most frequent deformity of the chest wall and it occurs mostly in young males. The pathology is often caused by the overgrowth of the costal cartilages and the anterior displacement of the sternum. PC can be associated to other pathologies or syndromes; in most cases is asymptomatic but with important impact on social life and self-esteem. The treatment can be performed either through non-invasive methods (brace) or surgical ones (open or minimally invasive procedures), considering the age of the patient, the malformation severity and the patient’s compliance. The most used bracing device is the Dynamic Compression System (DCS), that permit to measure the pressure necessary for the correction. They have considered the chest wall compliance, related to the age and the pressure can be modified during the treatment based on the results. Surgery is dedicated to the patients who don’t tolerate the brace or who don’t have a good chest wall compliance. Aim of this article is to describe the current state of art.
Methods: We reviewed the literature and analysed the articles through PubMed searching the words “pectus carinatum” “surgical treatment” “PC childhood” “brace”. We also research reviews and items in the Cochrane Library.
Key Content and Findings: The malformation can cause clinical and, more often, psychological effect and the treatment of the condition has evolved in years even thanks to the development of new instruments to treat PC both surgically and non-surgically, we narrated some of the different techniques described in literature.
Conclusions: Through the review of the literature, the correct patient selection is extremely important to obtain the best result. Nowadays, patients have many alternative treatments, invasive and not-invasive procedures, that’s why counseling is becoming more and more important. Patients who want to treat their condition, should turn to a dedicated Centre with good expertise in the management of this kind of chest wall malformations.
Methods: We reviewed the literature and analysed the articles through PubMed searching the words “pectus carinatum” “surgical treatment” “PC childhood” “brace”. We also research reviews and items in the Cochrane Library.
Key Content and Findings: The malformation can cause clinical and, more often, psychological effect and the treatment of the condition has evolved in years even thanks to the development of new instruments to treat PC both surgically and non-surgically, we narrated some of the different techniques described in literature.
Conclusions: Through the review of the literature, the correct patient selection is extremely important to obtain the best result. Nowadays, patients have many alternative treatments, invasive and not-invasive procedures, that’s why counseling is becoming more and more important. Patients who want to treat their condition, should turn to a dedicated Centre with good expertise in the management of this kind of chest wall malformations.
