Pectus excavatum

By Mayo Clinic Staff
March 14, 2025

Research

Mayo healthcare professionals and researchers are studying new ways to treat pectus excavatum in both children and adults. Genetic studies also are underway to look for the specific genes that may be linked with pectus excavatum.

Recent research by Mayo doctors has shown that pectus excavatum repair can significantly improve heart function by relieving the compression on the heart from the chest wall. Improvements are seen in:

  • The size of the heart chambers.
  • Output of the right side of the heart.
  • Oxygen delivery of the heart.

Publications

See a list of publications about pectus excavatum by Mayo Clinic doctors on PubMed, a service of the National Library of Medicine.

  1. Kliegman RM, et al. Skeletal diseases influencing pulmonary function. In: Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 22nd ed. Elsevier; 2025. https://www.clinicalkey.com. Accessed Aug. 5, 2024.
  2. Mayer OH. Pectus excavatum: Etiology and evaluation. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/search. Accessed Aug. 5, 2024.
  3. AskMayoExpert. Pectus excavatum. Mayo Clinic; 2023.
  4. Pectus excavatum and pectus carinatum. Pediatric Care Online. https://publications.aap.org/pediatriccare. Accessed Aug. 5, 2024.
  5. Cameron JL, et al., eds. Chest wall, mediastinum, and trachea. In: Current Surgical Therapy. 14th ed. Elsevier; 2023. https://www.clinicalkey.com. Accessed Aug. 5, 2024.
  6. Mayer OH. Pectus excavatum: Treatment. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/search. Accessed Aug. 5, 2024.
  7. Medical review (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic. Aug. 26, 2024.
  8. Nimmagadda R. Allscripts EPSi. Mayo Clinic. July 17, 2024.