The Institute of Chest Wall Surgery
Surgery for A 14-year-old Patient with Severe Complex Chest Wall Deformities
Medical History
The patient, a 14-year-old male, had chest wall deformities from an early age. Initially, as the deformities were mild and did not cause any discomfort, the patient received no treatment. However, as the patient aged, the deformities gradually worsened, not only significantly altering the appearance of the thorax, but also gradually causing discomfort to the patient.
Preoperative Examination
The patient's chest wall protrudes significantly, with the central part being the most pronounced and forming an acute angle deformity. Additionally, there are depressions on both sides of the lower half of the chest wall. The patient was diagnosed with severe complex chest wall deformities.
Surgical Overview
A 5 cm long incision was made on each side of the chest wall. First, the Wenlin procedure was performed to correct the protrusion on the upper chest wall, followed by the Wung procedure for the depressions on the lower halves. The operation was completed in 1 hour and 30 minutes without any complications. After the surgery, the deformities were entirely corrected, and the chest wall appearance returned to normal.
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Surgical Treatment for Complex Chest Wall Deformities: A Combination of Wenlin Procedure and Wung Procedure
Complex chest wall deformities refer to the simultaneous presence of both protrusions and depressions in the chest wall. Unlike the single deformities which have relatively fixed shapes (such as pectus carinatum or pectus excavatum), complex chest wall deformities require multiple surgical techniques for correction. Wenlin procedure and Wung procedure are respectively designed for treating protrusion and depression. Therefore, in surgeries for patients with complex chest wall deformities, we perform both procedures simultaneously to complete the correction and restore the chest wall appearance to normal.