How Common are Congenital Rib Abnormalities?

Discussion The embryonic mesoderm forms the skeletal system. The mesoderm is further divided into the dorsal, sclerotome and ventral dermatome. The sclerotome forms the ribs which are under the influence of various genes and growth factors. Congenital rib abnormalities occur in number ( the normal 12 ribs) or in formation/structural. Malformations can include hypoplastic, bridging, forked, fused and hypoplastic ribs. Even ribs with holes occur because of the segmentation issues. Illustrated examples can be found here. The rib’s cartilage, bone or both can be affected. Location along the rib is also variable. Abnormalities can be unilateral or bilateral. Most abnormalities do not cause problems. Some do however and the problems are usually related to their location. Extranummerary cervical or intrathoracic ribs can cause problems with potential nerve compression, or compression of the subclavian artery or lymphatics in the area. Rib abnormalities in other areas have been reported to cause liver laceration or pneumothorax. A review of back pain can be found here. Learning Point Congenital rib abnormalities affect ~1% of patients and most do not cause problems Many are found incidentally. Chest computed tomography, often recently with 3-D reconstruction, helps to delineate the abnormality and potentially the treatment. Treatment is usually conservative but sometimes resection is necessary. In a radiological study of congenital rib abnormalities where participants (N=650...
Source: PediatricEducation.org - Category: Pediatrics Authors: Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: news