Guldemond FI, Höppener PFHM, Kragten JA, van Leeuwen YD, Siebenga J. [Cardiac symptoms due to pectus excavatum in a man over the age of 55].
Ned Tijdschr Geneeskd 2008;
152:337-341. [PMID:
18326416]
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Abstract
A healthy 59-year-old man, a retired general practitioner, suffered from increasing palpitations, fatigue and postural dyspnoea: bending over led to a significant increase in his shortness of breath. Cardiological and pulmonological examination, performed at regular intervals, showed occasional supraventricular arrhythmia and nodal tachycardia but did not yield a satisfactory explanation for the symptoms. In the years that followed, the physical impairment became a considerable handicap. Finally, the patient himself suggested a possible explanation on the basis of an Internet search: his pectus excavatum. A literature search confirmed this hypothesis. A lateral chest X-ray in bending position and a CT-scan of the chest revealed compression of the heart by the sternum. Ten years after the onset of symptoms, a modified Ravitch operation finally brought nearly complete recovery.
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