Abstract
Purpose Pectus carinatum is a thoracic deformity, which causes severe psychological problems
for affected patients but almost no physical limitations. Invasive procedures are
difficult to justify for this reason. We present a conservative therapy which leads
to complete resolution in most cases when performed properly.
Methods Between January 2008 and December 2012, 69 patients from 4 to 17 years with pectus
carinatum were treated with a custom-fitted brace. Patients were stratified in children,
adolescents, and adults.
Results Mean therapy time was 7 months. Mean time of daily brace wearing was 12 to 15 hours.
The results were evaluated by pictures taken before and after the therapy and from
a patient interview. Standardized lateral views revealed a mean correction angle of
10 degrees in the children's group and 5 degrees in the adolescent group. In the adolescent
group, 82% of patients judged the result as “excellent” or “good.” In this large group
with 56 patients, those who reported the result “unchanged” had a mean daily brace
wearing time of 8.73 hours, those who judged the result as “good” 14.53 hours, and
those who judged the result as “excellent” 18.36 hours.
Conclusion Our results show that pectus carinatum is efficiently treated with a customized brace
therapy within 7 to 12 months. Best correction can be achieved in children and young
adolescents. Daily brace-wearing time should be above 14 hours, ideally 24 hours.
Duration of the treatment should be around 1 year. Treatment results correlate directly
with the cooperation of the patients.
Keywords
pectus carinatum - conservative therapy - thoracic deformity
