What department should I go to for children with pectus excavatum?

Some diseases are congenital, and pectus excavatum is one of them. If a child suffers from pectus excavatum, he should go to the hospital for examination and treatment in time. Because pectus excavatum will affect a child's height, most children with pectus excavatum will not grow taller. Especially in the chest area, it will block circulation, inhibit the speed of development, and weaken the child's immunity and resistance. So, which department should a child with pectus excavatum go to in the hospital?

Mild symptoms of pectus excavatum compression in infancy are often not noticed. Although some patients have inspiratory stridor and sternal inhalation retraction, the cause of airway obstruction is often not found. Children with this disease are often thin, inactive, prone to upper respiratory tract infections, and have limited mobility. The forced expiratory volume and maximum ventilation volume were significantly reduced. Palpitations, shortness of breath, and difficulty breathing occur during activities. In addition to chest deformity, other physical signs include mild hunchback, protruding abdomen, and other special body shapes.

The body of the sternum (especially the root of the xiphoid process) and the corresponding 3rd to 6th costal cartilages on both sides are concave, causing the anterior chest wall to look like a funnel. The heart is compressed and displaced, and the lungs are restricted in movement due to the deformity of the chest cage, affecting the child's cardiopulmonary function. Children experience palpitations and shortness of breath after activities, often suffer from upper respiratory tract and lung infections, and even heart failure. Symptoms become increasingly apparent after the age of 3, with sunken chest, protruding belly, emaciation, and poor development. Pectus excavatum is a deformity in which the sternum, costal cartilages and part of the ribs sink toward the spine to form a funnel shape. In most cases of pectus excavatum, the sternum starts to move backward from the level of the second or third costal cartilage to the lowest point slightly above the xiphoid process, and then moves forward to form a boat-like deformity. The two sides or outer sides become concave and deformed inward, forming the two side walls of the pectus excavatum. The ribs of people with pectus excavatum have a greater slope than those of normal people. The ribs sink rapidly from the upper back to the lower front, bringing the front and back closer together. In severe cases, the deepest depression of the sternum can reach the spine.

The deformity of pectus excavatum in young patients is often symmetrical. As they age, the deformity gradually becomes asymmetrical, the sternum tends to rotate to the right, the depression of the right costal cartilage is often deeper than that of the left, and the right breast is less developed than the left. The back of the chest is mostly flat or round. Scoliosis gradually worsens with age. Scoliosis is not easy to occur when the age is young, but it is more obvious after puberty.

Pectus excavatum deformity compresses the heart and lungs, and the heart is often displaced to the left side of the chest cavity. Children often present with a distinctive weak posture: neck thrust forward, rounded shoulders, and a cup-shaped abdomen. The deepest depression is at the junction of the sternal body and xiphoid process. There is a family tendency or congenital heart disease.