These comments are made for the purpose of discussion and should NOT be used as recommendations for or against therapies or other treatments. An individual patient is always advised to consult their own physician.
Chest Concavity
Question: I have a slight chest concavity. I went to the physician and he said there was nothing I could do about it, that it was how my breastbone formed at birth.
What I’d like to know is how common chest concavities are, what can be done to correct them, and what medical problems, if any, can occur because of this.
Answer: A chest concavity is medically referred to as a pectus excavatum. This is an inherited or developmental problem. It does not appear to have any consequences unless it is so major as to displace the heart and great vessels. It occurs in about 3-5% of individuals. It is strongly associated with mitral valve prolapse and most people with mitral valve prolapse will outlive their contempories considerably.
