Congenital absence of sternum in an infant

Description

A female baby aged 6 months, born to non-consanguineous parents presented with anterior chest wall deformity since birth. On examination, an absent palpable sternum along with paradoxical respiratory movements with visible cardiac contractions and vasculature were seen beneath a thin layer of skin which led to the diagnosis of congenital absence of the sternum (figure 1 and video 1). The rest of the examination was found to be normal with no other obvious congenital anomalies. CT scan of the thorax showed mild shift of the mediastinum towards the right side with the pericardium abutting the anterior chest wall and absence of ectopiacardis. There was no other associated underlying malformation.

Figure 1

The absent sternum along with visible cardiac contractions and vasculature were seen beneath a thin layer of skin.

Video 1

The absent sternum along with visible cardiac...

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