Oluseun Olufade, MD, is an Orthopedic Surgeon and Assistant Professor of Orthopedics at the Emory School of Medicine. The sternum protects your heart and lungs by acting as a shield in your chest.

There are two main types of chest wall deformity: pectus carinatum, or pigeon chest, and pectus excavatum, or funnel chest. The former pushes out; the latter sinks in. Though there can be a genetic ...

Pectus carinatum, also called a protruding sternum or pigeon chest, is a rare deformity in children. It causes the chest and ribs to stick out further than they should. Only one or two children out of ...