The neck and shoulders are tilted forward, the back is hunched, the abdomen is protruding, especially there is a funnel chest, who’s child has such a body shape will make people worry, and many parents and even some pediatricians wrongly believe that this body shape is related to calcium deficiency, but thoracic and cardiac surgery experts believe that, in fact, funnel chest is not due to calcium deficiency during development, but a congenital genetic disease, medication and injection are not effective, the best way The best way is to take surgical treatment. What is a funnel chest? A funnel chest is easy to determine just by its appearance. Contrary to “chicken chest”, a funnel chest is a condition in which the sternum and the cartilage on both sides of the rib cage are sunken inward, in the shape of a “funnel”. It is a congenital genetic disorder that is more common in males than females, with an incidence rate of 1 in 1,000 children, which means that there is one case of funnel chest in every 1,000 children. These children are often ashamed to expose their foreheads in public, afraid to wear tank tops in summer, and afraid to take baths in public bathrooms, resulting in severe psychological isolation. In addition, children with funnel chest over 7 years old often have different degrees of scoliosis, and some of them also have congenital heart disease, pulmonary insufficiency and other diseases. Calcium supplements cannot cure funnel chest At first, when we went to the hospital, the pediatrician thought it was a calcium deficiency, so we kept giving the child calcium supplements, but we did not see any effect. Many parents of children with funnel chest have this question. This is not a calcium deficiency problem, but rather the uncoordinated growth of the child’s rib cartilage, which squeezes the sternum backwards, or the short central tendon of the diaphragm, which, as the body develops, pulls the sternum and saber backwards, causing the sternum to sink and forming a “funnel chest”. This condition actually becomes apparent at the age of two and is a congenital condition. However, in clinical practice, 60% of pediatricians mistakenly believe that it is related to calcium deficiency in children. No case has been found in which the affected child was caused by calcium deficiency. ”Funnel chest is not only unsightly and makes children feel inferior, but more importantly, moderate to severe funnel chest causes severe compression of the heart and lungs, and the circulation and breathing disorders caused by this compression are not effective by taking medication and injections, which only makes patients waste money and delay leading to aggravation of the disease.” Above the age of 3, severe funnel chest can only be corrected by surgery. Let your child hold up his chest Generally speaking, funnel chest appears from the age of 2. Mild funnel chest has little effect on breathing, and regular exercise and follow-up are recommended. If the funnel chest becomes progressively worse during regular review, surgery is required at the appropriate time. In clinical practice, the sunken part of a patient with severe funnel chest can fit a 200 ml bottle of mineral water when lying on his back. The sunken sternum and ribs will compress the heart, lungs and other organs in the chest cavity, making the child susceptible to respiratory infections. Therefore, at this time, experts believe that severe funnel chest should be operated as early as possible. At present, there are various treatment options for funnel chest surgery, and typical traditional surgeries include sternal reversal and thoracic rib lift. Both of these surgeries can correct the sternal depression, but they are difficult for many parents and children to accept because of the trauma to the child (sternum and ribs have to be cut) and the lack of aesthetic wound. Today, the latest surgical procedure is the minimally invasive funnel chest orthopedic system (Nuss) surgery, which applies a thoracoscopically assisted Nuss plate into the posterior part of the lower sternum to lift the sunken sternum, making the surgery less traumatic, less bleeding, and the child recovers more quickly after surgery.