Center for Pectus Excavatum and Carinatum
Center for Pectus Excavatum and Carinatum
The Center for Pectus Excavatum and Pectus Carinatum at Children’s Mercy Kansas City is one of the largest centers for surgery and bracing in the country. The Pectus Center is the region’s only authorized bracing system provider, correcting nearly every pectus carinatum case without surgery.
My chest goes in: pectus excavatum
Pectus excavatum (also known as sunken chest or funnel chest) is the most common abnormality of the chest in children. The surgical experts at Children’s Mercy are recognized leaders in repairing pectus excavatum by using the minimally invasive repair of pectus excavatum (MIRPE) or the Nuss procedure. Our surgery success rate is 99 percent.
Read about how Children’s Mercy treats pectus excavatum.
My chest goes out: pectus carinatum
Pectus carinatum is a common pediatric condition characterized by an abnormal overgrowth of the rib cartilages. For pectus carinatum patients, the center offers a nonsurgical option for treatment with the dynamic compression system (DCS) brace. Our pectus center is one of the highest volume centers in the nation using the DCS. Most patients with pectus carinatum do not need surgery.
Resources for patients and families
The pectus team has various resources available to patients and families such as exercises, recommendations, travel letters, brace billing information and more.
Pectus carinatum
Pectus excavatum
Stories
Pectus carinatum: Weston's story
At 15, Weston Marshall was diagnosed with a protruding sternum, called pectus carinatum. The Center for Pectus Excavatum and Pectus Carinatum at Children’s Mercy used a special brace to correct the condition.
Pectus carinatum: Zane's story
A “bump” in the center of Zane Johnson’s chest called pectus carinatum brought him to the Center for Pectus Excavatum and Pectus Carinatum at Children’s Mercy. A special brace is correcting the condition.
Pectus excavatum: Sophie's story
When Sophie Penland needed surgery to correct pectus excavatum, a chest wall deformity, her mom brought her to the experts at Children’s Mercy. Now the teenager is dancing to her heart’s content.
Highest level of surgical care
Children’s Mercy is one of only 30 locations in the nation to be verified by the American College of Surgeons as a Level 1 Children’s Surgery Center.