Although pectus excavatum (PE) is thought to impair right ventricular (RV) performance,
the degree of RV dysfunction, if any, produced by this chest wall deformity remains
controversial. To address this issue, we performed 2-dimensional echocardiography
and chest wall radiography in 28 subjects with mild-to-severe degrees of PE to assess
RV morphology and function in relation to the degree of the chest wall deformity.
Measurements of RV anatomy and function obtained in these patients were compared to
those of 24 normal control subjects of similar age and sex. In subjects with PE, mean
RV outflow tract diameter at the aortic root level was narrower (1.4 +/- 0.3 cm/m2)
and end-diastolic (10 +/- 2.3 cm2/m2) and end-systolic (5.8 +/- 1.4 cm2/m2) areas
were larger than those in normal controls (1.6 +/- 0.3, 8.6 +/- 1.7, and 4.5 +/- 1.2
cm2/m2, respectively; p < 0.013). The magnitude of these abnormalities was related
to the degree of the chest wall deformity evaluated on the chest radiogram (r = 0.54,
0.51, and 0.49, respectively). RV planar emptying fraction, an index of RV systolic
function, was reduced in subjects with PE (42 +/- 10%) compared to the normal controls
(48 +/- 10%; p = 0.047). No relation could be found, however, between this index and
the severity of the chest wall deformity.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)