Does Your Child Have Sunken Chest Syndrome? Here's What You Should Know Sunken chest syndrome, or Pectus Excavatum, occurs in an estimated 1 in 300-400 births, with male predominance. Even though kids are born with pectus excavatum, it may not be noticeable until early childhood, or more typically until the early teenage years. Pectus excavatum is when the sternum is sunken in and is hereditary, meaning it passes through families. Some symptoms a person can experience with pectus excavatum: problems tolerating exercise limitations with some kinds of physical activities tiredness chest pain a rapid heartbeat or heart palpitations frequent respiratory infections coughing or wheezing shortness of breath GI complaints heartburn D Barry LoSasso, MD, is the founder of the Center of Excellence For Pectus and adult general and pediatric surgeon, who specializes in diagnosing and treating children and adults with pectus excavatum. To get a better take on what parents or caretakers should know if they notice one our children might be experiencing pectus excavatum, Dr. LoSasso has outlined the most frequently asked questions. As a parent, what are some things we could look for that would indicate our child has pectus excavatum, or sunken chest syndrome? Dr. Barry LoSasso: This is a great question as some cases might be quite mild, and to the naked eye you may only see a slight depression in the chest as opposed to a deep concave depression. What can be done to fix pectus excavatum? Dr. LoSasso: Typically surgery, the Nuss Procedure in particular, has the best outcome for anyone young or old who experiences complications with pectus excavatum. My preference is the Nuss Procedure, named after its creator, Dr. Contact Us At: https://www.nussprocedure.com