Bifid sternum

Abstract

A bifid sternum is a rare congenital anomaly generally diagnosed as asymptomatic at birth. It is sometimes associated with other congenital anomalies. The sternal defects are best corrected surgically during the neonatal period within the first month of life. Sometimes the defect may be diagnosed only in adult life. We here report a case of bifid sternum which was diagnosed incidentally in a 23-year-old male.

Successful surgical repair of a sternum cleft using composite mesh: A case report and new technical note

“…[5][6] Moreover, studies have suggested that it is always preferable to use autogenous tissue for sternal cleft repair and to avoid the use of prosthetic materials, recognising the risk of infection and the negative impact of inert material on the patient's development. [1,4,8] Despite the risk of infection described in the literature, the use of prosthesis in sternal cleft repair has an advantage in preventing an increase in intrathoracic pressure such as explained in our technical note. [17] In addition, this surgical approach avoids major surgical dissection and the use of autogenous or bone bank rib reconstruction, which presents a potential risk of aseptic or septic necrosis of the bone.…”

“…[1] Multiple embryological studies of the sternum have attributed the sternal cleft to a defect in fusion of the two sternal bands from the lateral plate mesoderm, which normally occurs around the ninth week of intrauterine life in the craniocaudal direction. [1,[3][4][5][6] The cleft may involve the manubrium and upper sternebrae, the lower sternum saving the xiphoid process, but also the entire sternum. Therefore, sternal clefts are classified as incomplete and partial forms, which can be superior or inferior.…”

“…Therefore, sternal clefts are classified as incomplete and partial forms, which can be superior or inferior. [4,5] According to Ravitch, [7] classification of sternal clefts may be in the form of: • Complete bifid sternum with or without ectopia cordis or herniation of pericardium known as Cantrell pentalogy (congenital sternal cleft, omphalocele, anterior diaphragmatic hernia, ectopia cordis, and a variety of intracardiac defects). • Fusion at only upper or lower parts of sternal plates (isolated sternal defects).…”

“…[3,8] There is no reported justification for the predominantly female prevalence of the condition. [3][4][5] However, studies by Gorlin et al [13] and Heron et al [14] showed a predominance of females when the sternal cleft is associated with a bandlike scar from the umbilicus and diastasis recti.…”

Bifid sternum in a young woman: Multimodality imaging features

“…Bifid sternum is a rare fusion anomaly, and represents 0.15% of all chest deformities [3] . According to Ravitch classification of sternal clefts, there are 3 main groups of sternal anomalies depending on the associated defects: the first includes isolated sternal defects, the second group is constituted by cleft sternum with abdominal wall and diaphragm malformations (ectopia cordis), and the third is known as Cantrell pentalogy.…”