Background The sternum (breastbone) is a long, flattened bone, laying vertically and constituting the middle part of the anterior wall of the thorax. It is clinically important for us, because median sternotomy is the most common surgical approach used in cardiac surgery. It has three parts named from above to downward; manubrium, corpus and xiphoid. Its average length in the adult is about 17 ...

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE Correction of pectus excavatum (PE) results in measurable improvement in lung capacity and cardiac performance as well as improved appearance and self-image. The Nuss and modified Ravitch approaches attempt to correct the chest wall deformity by forcing the sternum forward in 1 step and holding it in place using a metal strut. The initial operation requires extensive manipula...