Chest Wall Deformities and Congenital Lung Lesions: What the General/Thoracic Surgeon Should Know.

Pectus excavatum, carinatum, and arcuatum are 3 developmental chest wall deformities that may evolve during childhood and cause cardiac and/or pulmonary compression. Evaluation may include nonsurgical subspecialty consultations and imaging studies. Treatment may be nonoperative or surgical. Long-term follow-up studies have identified rare complications of traditional open repair. Routine in utero ultrasonography has led to increasing identification of congenital lung anomalies, including congenital cystic adenomatoid malformations, pulmonary sequestrations, and bronchogenic cysts. Short-term follow-up studies have suggested that some lesions may regress spontaneously. Minimally invasive techniques, including thoracoscopy, may allow for early surgical resection with less morbidity than traditional open surgery.