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Straightened Sternal Wire Causes Iatrogenic Pectus Carinatum After Cardiac Surgery
Pediatric Cardiology, 05/23/2012
Thompson JL et al. – Pectus carinatum is a protrusion deformity of the anterior chest wall that is most likely caused by a disproportionate growth of the costal cartilages compared with the remainder of the thoracic skeleton. A young boy had previously undergone corrective congenital heart operation, after which a prominent sternal protrusion was noted. During the past year, the protrusion had greatly increased in size and had become recurrently infected. Chest X–ray showed that a sternal wire, the ends of which were pointing toward the skin, had straightened.
