Our son was diagnosed at the age of 8, and he has a severely concave pectus or chest. Is this purely an aesthetic issue, as the specialists say? Should consideration of treatment wait until he reaches puberty or older so that it’s his decision, and is there a relevant connection with Noonan’s?
The panel’s understanding was that this was generally and usually a cosmetic issue rather than something that would cause a problem with the heart. It’s very unusual for such a condition to compress the heart and cause a problem. Occasionally problems with the chest wall can cause problems with lung development. The chest wall continues to develop as the child grows so it’s often a good idea to wait until the child has stopped growing before making a decision.
