General Information About Pigeon Chest
Disease Details and Frequently Asked Questions
It is when the bone known as the breastbone (sternum) and cartilaginous tissues in the middle of the rib cage make a noticeable outward protrusion instead of being flat or sunken.
It occurs when the cartilages connecting the ribs to the sternum grow faster and more uncontrollably than necessary, pushing the breastbone outward. Genetic predisposition plays a role.
No. Unlike funnel chest (Pectus Excavatum), where the rib cage is sunken in, this deformity does not press on the organs. Patients' respiratory and heart functions are completely normal.
Although it does not harm organs, it is treated because the distortion of body image, especially during adolescence, causes serious loss of self-confidence, hesitation to swim in pools/seas, and psychological withdrawal in children.
Yes. Especially in growing children (ages 11-15) whose bones are still flexible, the rib cage can be completely flattened within months using special 'Compression Orthoses' (braces) that apply controlled pressure from the outside.
For adult patients who do not respond to brace treatment or whose bone development is complete (hardened); the deformity is aesthetically repaired using the Ravitch (open surgery) or Abramson (closed/compression bar) methods.
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