PECTUS CARINATUM, OVERVIEW AND RESULTS OF ORTHOTIC BRACING THERAPY
Pectus carinatum may occur alone or together with other congenital disorders or even syndromes, causing the sternum to protrude. Patients with pectus carinatum are generally asymptomatic however the deformity may induce lung and cardiac dysfunction. Pectus deformities can also have an impact on a child’s self-image and self-confidence. In this paper we give an overview of the pathophysiology, the epidemiology, clinical presentation, diagnosis and differential diagnosis as well as treatment and management of this congenital condition and present our results applying orthotic bracing in 65 children including a survey from the patients and /or the parents. Our results are very promising with improvement of the quality of life for the patients and probably prevention of orthopedic problems such as scoliosis in the future.