Saturday, February 12, 2011

What is it?

Pectus excavatum, or sunken or funnel chest, is a chest wall deformity where several ribs and the sternum grow abnormally causing a caved-in appearance of the chest wall. It occurs in about 1 in 400 births, and the male-to-female ratio is 3:1.

Although PE is a congenital deformity, we only started noticing Lauren's when she was a toddler. After watching it stay pretty much the same all her life, we started to see a worsening during and after her 9th year when she had a couple of growth spurts. She not only showed a difference in appearance (deeper chest wall, rolling forward of shoulders, and pot-bellied appearance), she was also showing more signs of exercise intolerance (shortness of breath, chest pain/pressure, and feeling faint). This was when we decided it was time to see the pediatrician.

After several tests and finding out that all her symptoms were being caused by her PE, we were referred to Dr. Barry Berch at Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital in Jackson, MS. He will be doing her surgery on February 17th, 2011.

One of the tests to determine the degree of severity of the PE is a CT scan. From the CT, a Haller index is derived by different measurements. An index of more than 3.2 is considered a severe deformity that requires surgery...Lauren's index is 5.0 (Dr. Berch says this is one of the more severe he sees). Below is a similar picture to Lauren's CT (not her actual) which shows the displacement of the heart caused by pectus excavatum. Seeing this, you can definitely understand why she has had discomfort when she exercises.



Here is Lauren being a big girl getting her IV for her CT scan,


and here she is getting the CT scan.

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6 comments:

  1. Joan The BaptistFebruary 13, 2011 at 4:06 PM

    Dear Lauren,

    I have sent out prayer requests for you. Yahweh is sure to hear them. My prayer. Father Yahweh, I ask in the name of your son Yeshua please guide the hands of the surgeons. Be the hands Father during the procedure. Be the peace before Lauren's surgery and the grace after. I pray Father in Yeshua's name to take all pain from Lauren. I know this is a BIG request but YOU can do all things Father. Please allow Lauren to have a quick recovery. She is a brave young soldier. But you know this already Father. Thank you for hearing my prayers and for the good you are already doing in her Father. Psalm 18:1 I WILL love thee, O LORD, my strength. In Yeshua's name. Amen. Cassie a daughter of Yahweh. Cape Cod Massachusetts.

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  2. UnknownFebruary 13, 2011 at 5:00 PM

    Amy, I will be praying for you, Lauren, and the rest of your family this week,

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  3. JennieFebruary 14, 2011 at 12:03 AM

    I'm praying for you and standing and believing God's healing hand to minister to you. Be blessed. Hang in there and expect God's goodness.

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  4. JonsWinFebruary 14, 2011 at 10:31 AM

    I'm Jonathan and I'm 13 and my mom and your grandma have been friends for about 30 years. Hope you get to fellin better wish you didnt have to go through this painful process.

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  5. Roseann SnellingFebruary 15, 2011 at 10:27 AM

    Dear Lauren, Many people are praying for you from Minnesota. God truly has you in His hands, He loves you so much! Thank you for sharing your amazing strength and faith with all of us.
    "Thank you Jesus for all you are doing for this beautiful girl, we praise and thank you for Your miraculous healing in all areas".
    God continue to bless you and your family. Roseann Snelling from Cannon Falls, Minnesota

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  6. crosspointe churchFebruary 17, 2011 at 8:49 AM

    Lauren, you know you are special to me. I am praying for you and your family. I love you all., Ms. Teresa

    ReplyDelete

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