Pectus Excavatum in Females | Sunken Chest in Girls

Pectus excavatum is a common chest deformity described as a sunken chest. Pectus excavatum in females is far less common so girls are unlikely to suffer from pectus excavatum compared to males. Boys tend to be born with pectus excavatum and pectus carinatum. A sunken chest in females comes with similar issues to the body. Increased heart rate, fatigue, and back-related problems have been reported.

Pectus excavatum in females can occur within 1 to 2,000 cases of births. The symptoms are very similar to their male counterparts. Females have a sunken chest; its noticeable indentation may cause chest pain, fatigue, or shortness of breath. It may also cause self-esteem issues among younger teens and adults. Although not common, pectus excavatum in females can be fatal—most people who suffer from pectus excavatum are not in any danger. With pectus excavatum being less common in females, males are more likely to be diagnosed accurately. Given the nature of the development process of girls, it is far easier to diagnose a male with pectus excavatum. Animals have also been known to be diagnosed with pectus excavatum More about pectus excavatum in dogs!

There is still research to be made about pectus excavatum in females. Girls with sunken chests should continue to work out their torso and train their backs. As research continues, we will share more information related to pectus excavatum in females.

The Nuss Procedure and Dr. Donald Nuss

People generally search for rib flare or the nuss procedure after they've understood more about pectus excavatum, but many are unaware about who invented the Nuss Procedure.

Image of Dr. Donald Nuss

The Nuss Procedure was invented by Donald Nuss in 1986 as a more efficient and non-invasive surgery, essentially replacing the Ravitch Procedure and its modifications, which dominated the field for pectus excavatum surgeries. The Ravitch Procedure required the removal of skin and some muscles of the chest to access the rib cage cartilage (the Ravitch Procedure is actually a modification of the first Pectus Excavatum surgery committed by Ferdinand Sauerbruch). The biggest revolutionary act were small incisions on the rib cage to allow a metal bar to be inserted and turned 180 degrees to press the chest further (which was suggested in earlier attempts and in modifications of the Ravitch Procedure), thus not needing to further damage the chest in order to complete the surgery.

German Surgeon | Ferdinand Sauerbruch

The Nuss Procedure was a major modification, but influenced by earlier surgeons who also believed that cutting too much muscle or cartilage was inefficient. Some earlier surgeons committed the surgery on very young children, but later on, years before the Nuss Procedure was developed by Nuss, surgeons overwhelmingly agreed to wait for surgery until after puberty.