Pectus excavatum is a type of birth defect caused by abnormal growth of the ribs and breast bone,which gives the chest a sunken or caved-in appearance. It is estimated that this disorder occurs in 1 of every 300 to 400 births, with approximately 75% of cases affecting boys. In many patients with pectus excavatum, the altered shape of the chest does not affect function; however, in severe cases, this deformity restricts filling of the lungs and patients often have reduced exercise capacity. In addition, the heart is typically pushed to one side, patients usually have some compression of the upper chambers of the heart, and 20% to 60% of patients have improper closure of one of the valves in the heart. The Ravitch procedure is a surgical method for correcting pectus excavatum; however, it is invasive requiring breast bone and cartilage incisions followed by muscle and skin repair.