1. Lee SY, Lee SJ, Jeon CW, Lee CS, Lee KR. Effect of the compressive brace in pectus carinatum. European journal of cardio-thoracic surgery : official journal of the European Association for Cardio-thoracic Surgery. 2008;34(1):146-9.
The purpose of this study was to observe, over a six year period, the effects and efficiency of compressive brace therapy as a nonsurgical treatment for pectus carinatum (PC). The authors point out that patients with PC generally complain of cosmetic and psychological problems, occasionally patients will develop lung related issues. Due to the possible complications with PC surgical treatment patients and families sought a non-surgical option for treatment. Participants in the study were assessed using a manual compression test to determine costal cartilage flexibility of the protrusion area and a chest CT scan was taken to determine the degree of the protrusion. The study …show more content…
The authors along with a certified orthotist designed a custom-fit lightweight and self-adjustable chest compression brace that the patients wore 20 hours per day. The patient was seen for follow up at two to three weeks to assess patient compliance and orthotic fit, followed by appointments every three months until the treatment was completed. The authors point out that a patient satisfaction was measured at 12 months after starting the treatment. The subjective results showed that those who were treated for greater than six months had higher satisfaction scores and had no recurrence of the condition compared to those who were noncompliant or stopped treatment prior to four months. The objective results were measured using the Haller index (HI), with significant improvement in post-treatment HI compared to pre-treatment