Acquired chest wall deformities and corrections

Abstract

Acquired deformities of the chest wall are malformations, which develop due to non-congenital causative factors. Based on etiology, three major categories of acquired chest wall malformations can be distinguished. (1) Primary disease of the chest wall itself can cause deformation of the chest wall. This includes tumors and infections affecting the chest wall with subsequent development of chest wall deformation. (2) The largest group of acquired chest wall deformities are iatrogenic in nature and occur as a result of previous surgical intervention to the chest wall, seen as acquired restrictive thoracic dystrophy or acquired Jeune’s syndrome in young patients following open correction of pectus excavatum deformity. Iatrogenic chest wall deformities may also develop following rip graft harvesting or failed closure of thoracotomies. (3) Post-traumatic deformities are a result of direct or indirect trauma to the torso. This chapter is aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of the spectrum of acquired chest wall deformities and to discuss their pathophysiology, diagnosis and treatment.