The deformity of pectus excavatum is caused by a negative pressure in the anterior mediastinum sucking in the body of the sternum. This is usually due to the heart lying on the left side, leaving the mediastinum empty so that the sternum and costal cartilages are sucked in to fill the empty space. The operation consists of excising the deformed cartilages, mobilizing the sternum, and suturing the pericardial sac into a central position which corrects the deformity.Pectus excavatum, funnel chest, depressed sternum, and chonechondrosternon (Ochsner and DeBakey, 1939;Ochsner and Ochsner, 1966) are pseudonyms describing the same deformity of which the aetiology remains unknown and open to speculation. Brodkin (1953) and Chin (1957) blame the xiphoid origin of the diaphragm pulling the lower part of the sternum backwards. Mullard (1967) considers it is due to failure of osteogenesis and chondrogenesis of the anterior chest wall. Brown (1939) described the pathological changes of the chest wall in advanced pectus excavatum but offered no explanation for its causation.The diverse ways of correcting the deformity prove that no method is entirely satisfactory. Many authors recommend a rigid internal or external splint (

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