My son is 6 years old and has pectus excavatum, which needs to be consulted. What is it?

Patient's question:

Born with, relatively severe

Doctor's answer:

Whenever there is a clear deformity, surgery should be performed. Since pseudofunnel chest before the age of 3 is likely to correct itself, the ideal age for funnel chest surgery is between 3 and 10 years old. The younger the patient, the smaller the surgical scope and the better the outcome. However, in older children, bone ribs often need to be resected during surgery, and blood transfusion is frequently required.
1. Indications for Surgery
The indications for surgery include: a confirmed persistent deformity (i.e., in infants and young children, the deformity should be clearly visible during forceful exhalation), a funnel chest index greater than 0.2 combined with cardiac and pulmonary dysfunction and significant psychological burden.
2. Surgical Methods
There are two major approaches: the sternum (sternum) and the sternum (sternum).
(1) Funnel Chest Sternum Inversion Surgery:
① Vascular-b (vascular-b): A median skin incision is made on the chest and abdomen, and a transverse incision below the breast can be used for female patients. The pectoralis major muscles on both sides are freed outwardly, exposing the sunken sternum and the deformed ribs and costal cartilages on both sides.