Non-surgical treatment of pectus carinatum with the FMF® Dynamic Compressor System

Abstract

Pectus carinatum is a chest wall deformity, sometimes associated with physical signs and symptoms, but always associated to significant psychological distress. Surgical correction used to be the only solution, and was therefore only indicated for the most severe cases. Non-surgical approaches have been developed and improved during the last 15-20 years. A paradigm shift occured when the medical community realized that, despite the wall deformity, the chest wall was not completely rigid, but flexible and capable of remodeling. Several bracing devices and protocols are available as of today. This article will focus specifically in the FMF ® Dynamic Compressor System (DCS), which was developed in Argentina in 2001and is currently used worldwide.

Bracing of pectus carinatum: A quantitative analysis

“…These PCOs all have a similar goal to provide a constant force to the sternal protrusion to correct the deformity. An abundance of PCO literature has shown that this method of treatment is successful (Haje & Bowen, 1992;Kang et al, 2014;Kravarusic et al, 2006; R. T. Lee et al, 2013;Lopez et al, 2013;Martinez-ferro et al, 2016). However, research has yet to quantify the PCO forces acting on this deformity or characterize the stiffness and potential change in stiffness of the protrusion during treatment.…”

“…Scientific literature providing insight into the PCO methodology for correcting PC is scarce. Various research illustrates the success of the PCO bracing as an alternative to the surgical methods (e.g., Colozza & Bütter, 2013;Kravarusic et al, 2006;Martinez-ferro et al, 2016).…”

Comparison of conservative and surgical treatment of pectus carinatum in children

“…Концепція консервативного лікування способом поступової дозованої компресії була описана і втілена ще у 1964 р. M. Jaubert de Beaujeu [13]. Перший великий досвід використання даного способу лікування представлений Марселло Мартінезом-Ферро у 2008 р. Були опубліковані результати 6-річної праці з лікування 208 пацієнтів [7,8,11,16,17,18,25].…”

Does physiotherapy applied in conjunction with compression brace treatment in patients with pectus carinatum have efficacy? A randomized controlled study

“…Individuals with PC have to deal with selfconsciousness, embarrassment, anxiety, depression, and social isolation. Patients may have negative body esteem and poor life quality [4]. Additionally, patients have postural distortion, which can be aggravated by leaning forward, a habitual behavior patients often do while trying to hide their deformity [5].…”

“…Flexibility can be assessed by a manual compression test or measurement of the correction pressure via a device. Patients eligible for orthotic correction have been defined as those with a chondrogladiolar type deformity who require less than 10-15 psi pressure for correction [4]. Side effects of the compression brace include erythema, itching, wound, dyspnea, back pain, chest pain, and feeling of discomfort and embarrassment [12].…”