Specialties & Conditions Chest Wall Deformities Program
Lurie Children’s Chest Wall Deformities Program offers comprehensive care for children with chest wall abnormalities such as pectus excavatum (sunken chest) and pectus carinatum (pigeon chest).
To make sure that our patients receive the most appropriate, safest and timeliest care possible, we develop individualized care plans for each of our patients and families.
Pectus excavatum, also known as sunken chest or funnel chest, occurs when an abnormal growth of cartilage within the chest wall pushes the sternum, or breast bone, and ribs inward, creating a caved-in or sunken appearance. Learn more about pectus excavatum.
Pectus carinatum, also known as pigeon chest, is when the cartilage grows up and out and forces the sternum forward. One or both sides of the chest can be affected. Learn more about pectus carinatum.
Because of the visual nature of these conditions, pectus excavatum and pectus carinatum can usually be initially diagnosed by a physical examination of the chest wall.
Once the condition is diagnosed, your primary care physician may suggest you meet with a pediatric surgeon and their team to discuss treatment options. The initial consultation appointment can be scheduled by calling 312.227.4210.
Your first appointment will be a clinic consultation with an advanced practice nurse and a pediatric surgeon. A comprehensive past medical, surgical and family history will be taken at this visit, and a physical exam will also be completed. An in-depth description of the diagnosis and available treatment options will then be discussed.
After the initial visit, the surgeon may order a few tests to help build the treatment plan.
These are all outpatient tests and together their results will help define next steps. All patients will not necessarily have all tests.
All of the test results will be reviewed to determine the best course of treatment. Both surgical and non-surgical options will be evaluated. Learn more about pectus excavatum and pectus carinatum treatments.
Below is a list of medical departments and direct phone numbers to call to make your appointments, as needed:
| Medical Area | Test | Phone Numbers |
Cardiology Dept. |
Echocardiogram | 312.227.4100 |
Orthotics Dept. |
White light scan or brace fitting | 312.227.6210 |
| Physical Therapy Dept. | Evaluation and treatment | 1.800.543.7362 (1.800.KIDS DOC®) |
| Pulmonary Diagnostics Lab |
Pulmonary function testing | 312.227.3745 |
Medical Imaging – CT |
CT chest scan (if needed) | 312.227.4500 |
Pediatric Surgery |
Once all tests are completed, you will see the Pediatric Surgery team again | 312.227.4210 |
In addition, to make an appointment with one of our specialists, you can also call the general appointment line: 1.800.543.7362 (1.800 KIDS DOC).
The Chest Wall Deformities Clinical program includes a surgical team that has a passion for caring for patients with chest wall anomalies and who will work with you on the best treatment options for your condition.
Fizan Abdullah, MD, PhD, Vice Chair, Department of Surgery and Head, Division of Pediatric Surgery, joined Lurie Children’s in 2015 after spending a decade at Johns Hopkins Medicine as a pediatric surgeon, a physician-scientist and an educator. A leading authority in the fields of minimally invasive surgery and chest wall deformities, Dr. Abdullah also focuses on neonatal surgery, abdominal wall defect, congenital diaphragmatic hernia, and esophageal and gastrointestinal anomalies, among others. His research interests include surgical outcomes, patient safety, access to care and quality of care.
Catherine Hunter, MD, a pediatric surgeon and physician-scientist, is an expert in the diagnosis and treatment of chest-wall defects. She has a particular interest in thorascopic minimally invasive approaches to treat chest wall deformities, and her research focuses on chest wall deformity outcomes, among other areas. Dr. Hunter treats a variety of other pediatric and neonatal disorders including congenital anomalies of the lung, esophagus, diaphragm and intestines. Additional research interests include necrotizing enterocolitis and inflammatory bowel disease.
Marleta Reynolds, MD, Lurie Children’s Surgeon-in-Chief and Director of the Department of Surgery, is a pediatric surgeon and an expert on developmental anomalies of the lung, diaphragm, intestines and abdominal wall. She is a leader in the field of prenatal counseling for fetal anomalies, minimally invasive surgery, endocrine surgery, and pediatric cardio-thoracic and critical-care surgery.
Suzanne Kujawa, RNC, MSN, CPNI-PC and Laurie Sands, RN, MSN, CPNP PC/AC, are advanced practice nurses who support our Chest Wall Deformities Program. Both Suzanne and Laurie began working in the Division of Pediatric Surgery in 2009.
Lurie Children’s has one of the largest highly skilled teams of orthotists (brace-makers) in a freestanding children’s hospital in the Midwest. The team in the Orthotics and Prosthetics Department is onsite with a laboratory, and ready to create customized, state-of-the-art orthoses (braces) for your pre-teen or teenager.
Other members of the team include specialists from a variety of disciplines, including:
Together, this team works to provide coordinated care for your child before, during and after surgery.
As part of our mission to transform pediatric care, our work doesn’t stop in the operating room. We study the underlying causes of the diseases we treat. We are also researching new ways to improve the safety and quality of care, making surgery safer and better for all children.
As part of an ongoing study, our physician-scientists have embarked on a new way to image chest wall deformities that reduces the need for radiation-based imaging. Learn more.
Our physician-scientists are also involved in the following studies:
Your support is vital in helping us continue to make a difference in the lives of patients and families. Lurie Children’s relies on philanthropic funding to enhance its programs, services and research for children. To learn more, please e-mail the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago Foundation at foundation@luriechildrens.org or call 312.227.7500.
