Rib overgrowth may be a contributing factor for pectus excavatum: Evaluation of prepubertal patients younger than 10years old.

Abstract Background/Purpose We compared the costal cartilage and rib length between prepubertal patients with symmetric pectus excavatum and age- and sex-matched controls without anterior chest wall depression to evaluate if rib overgrowth is a contributing factor for pectus excavatum Methods The sample included 18 prepubertal patients Results The rib lengths in the patient group were significantly longer than in the control group for the 6th right rib and 4th, 5th, and 6th left ribs. The costal cartilage lengths and costal indices were not different between two groups. Conclusions In patients with symmetric pectus excavatum aged