Pectus Excavatum

Pectus excavatum, commonly known as sunken or funnel chest, is the most common congenital chest wall deformity. It affects approximately 1 in 40 0 to 1 in 100 0 live births,¹ with males being 3-5 times more likely to be affected than females.¹ This structural anomaly can compress the heart and lungs, potentially leading to functional impairment. CT or MRI can both be used to assess pectus excavatum. The evaluation of pectus excavatum primarily utilizes the Haller index (HI) to determine the severity of sternal depression. A mild deformity is considered when HI values are between > 2 and 3. 2, moderate deformity is noted with HI between 3. 2 and 3. 5, and a severe deformity is indicated by an HI of > 3. 5. Patients typically require surgical correction if their HI values exceed 3. 2, while normal values range between 2. 0 and 3. 0. If needed, pectus excavatum is treated surgically. The Nuss procedure is a minimally invasive surgical technique for pectus excavatum repair. This procedure involves the insertion of a curved substernal bar into the chest through 2 lateral thoracic incisions.