Pectus Excavatum treatment with 3D custom-made implant

How to treat Pectus Excavatum ?

Author : Pr Jean-Pierre Chavoin, ex-Head of Plastic Surgery Department of Toulouse University Hospital, ex-President and General Secretary of French Plastic Surgery Society.

Pectus Excavatum is a malformation of the thorax characterised by a median or lateral depression of the sternum. As concerns women, it can lead to breast's deformity or asymmetry. Funnel chest occurs in 1 to 2% of the population. The impact is mainly aesthetic and psychological, and very rarely functional.

The 3D custom-made implant technique consists of filling the "hole" in the chest without touching the rib cage(1) unlike traditional orthopedic techniques such as Nuss or Ravitch. Each implant is designed to adapt to the patient's own anatomy. The intervention is simple and painless with a quick recovery. The results are immediate.

Pectus Excavatum : 3D custom-made technique

Custom technique

Each implant is unique and customised for each patient :

Realisation of a chest scan at the hospital
Segmentation of all tissues and production of a virtual copy of the patient's body
Design of the virtual implant that adapts perfectly to the hole in the chest
Machining of a prototype, perfect copy of the implant, for the development of a mold
Final manufacturing of the silicone implant from the mold

Silicone implant

Implants are made with the latest-generation polymerised silicone and are definitive :

Medical-grade polymerized silicone rubber from NuSil, registered with the FDA (Food & Drugs Administration)
Smooth implants , puncture-resistant and tear-proof gum, no risk of rupture or shrink shell as for silicone gel breast implants
implants are then manufactured by our partner SEBBIN according to the standards ISO 9001 and ISO 13485 meeting the requirements of the European Directive 93/42

Frequently asked questions

Can you combine the insertion of these custom‑made implants with breast implants?

Yes but in two steps, waiting at least 6 months, and starting always with the thoracic implant. If breast asymmetry is due to sunken chest, the mere presence of the thoracic implant can sometimes correct the asymmetry and improve the projection of the breasts.

Regarding the 3D implant technique for Pectus, what is the advantage compared with the Nuss or Ravitch techniques?

This technique requires only one surgery, without orthopaedic change to the chest cavity, and therefore much less invasive, painful and disabling. This technique does not present any risk of recurrence or poor performance (know more).

Can you get a custom-made implant if you already performed a Nuss or Ravitch surgery?

Patients who had to remove a Nuss or Ravitch bar or who are not satisfied with the morphological results of those techniques can get a 3D custom-made implant. This filling technique presents minimal risks and fits perfectly to asymetric Pectus, hard to treat with traditional orthopedic surgeries (know more).

How much does it cost to get pectus excavatum fixed?

To get information about the cost of a 3D implant surgery to fix a concave chest, you need to contact one of our referral surgeons, specialized in the technique.

At what age can we benefit from the custom implant technique?

As concerns adolescents, concave chest can be operated from 14/15 years old, after puberty, when the deformation of the rib cage no longer progresses. Below that age, Pectus surgery on a child would require changing the implant during growth. Adults can undergo Pectus surgery with 3D implants, you can be operated until 60/65 years old if you are in good physical health.