The Institute of Chest Wall Surgery
Minimally Invasive Surgery for a 30-Year-Old Male Patient with Saddle Chest
Medical History
The patient is a 30-year-old adult male who has had a chest wall deformity since childhood, characterized by depressions on both sides of his lower chest. Initially, he did not seek treatment as he felt no discomfort. However, since puberty, the deformity has worsened, leading to symptoms such as palpitations and chest tightness. The abnormal appearance of his chest has also caused significant psychological stress, prompting him to seek corrective surgery.
Preoperative Examination
The chest wall has a saddle-like appearance, with depressions on both sides of the chest while the area in between remains at a normal height. The patient has been diagnosed with saddle chest.
Surgical Overview
An incision was made on the lateral chest wall, and a steel bar was placed on the surface of the bone structure. The Wang procedure was then performed on each side of the chest wall to lift the depressions. The surgery was successful, and the deformity disappeared postoperatively, restoring the normal appearance of the chest wall.
Related Photos
Saddle chest is a relatively rare chest wall deformity characterized by bilateral depressions in the lower anterior chest wall. These depressions are separated by a central chest wall that remains at a normal height, creating a saddle-like appearance. Although saddle chest may appear similar to a forward- protruding deformity, it should be distinguished from simple pectus carinatum (pigeon chest) because the central portion of the chest wall does not protrude above the normal body surface.
Saddle chest can be corrected through different surgical procedures. One method involves using a butterfly-shaped steel bar to lift the depressions from the bottom, equivalent to performing two Wung procedures simultaneously. Alternatively, corrections can be made on the surface of the depressions, similar to performing two Wang procedures simultaneously. When the depressions are narrow, a single steel bar may suffice. However, if the depressions are more extensive, two steel bars are generally required to achieve satisfactory results.