Chest wall deformities detected in lung radiographs during routine health screening in young healthy male athletes training for police services duty

Abstract

Objectives: Chest wall deformities are a series of abnormalities that extend from the sternum to the vertebral column and often cause aesthetic and psychological problems. Most chest wall deformities are caused by cartilaginous malformations such as pectus excavatum and pectus carinatum. The aim of this study was to provide a detailed description of chest wall abnormalities in young male athletes with no existing complaints. Methods: A comprehensive health assessment was performed on 1600 young men at the Erzincan Police Vocational Training Centre in March 2023. The evaluation included chest radiographs, pulmonary function tests, electrocardiography, transthoracic echocardiography, haemogram, biochemical test findings and comorbidities. Haller index scale was used to grade the severity of pectus deformity in individuals with pectus excavatum. Results: Pectus excavatum deformity was detected in 16 individuals (1%). Pectus carinatum was detected in only one individual (0.06%). Only one of the patients with chest wall deformity had an abnormal pulmonary function test, especially in the form of a minor obstructive pattern. In addition, 11 individuals in this group had associated electrocardiographic abnormalities. These abnormalities did not cause significant clinical findings. Conclusion: Our study showed that the prevalence of chest wall deformities in physically active young men is comparable to the prevalence of chest wall deformities reported for the general population in the available literature. Furthermore, this study demonstrated a higher prevalence of electrocardiographic abnormalities in subjects with chest wall deformities.