Pigeon breast

Synonyms

Chicken Breast

Introduction

A pigeon breast is a bony malformation of the ribcage. This is manifested in a prominent, i.e. protruding, part of the sternum in its lower part, so that the rib cage of the affected patient bulges forward in the middle. This is where the name comes from, as the shape can remind one, in the distant sense, of a ship’s keel. In contrast to the funnel chest, which is usually congenital, this malformation only occurs during the growth phase, i.e. between the first and second decade of life, and is much less common than this. The deformation of the rib cage is only rarely highly pronounced and is therefore actually always harmless from a medical-functional point of view.

Causes of a pigeon breast

In contrast to the funnel chest, which is congenital, a pigeon breast usually develops in the course of growth from the age of 10 years. Among the causes one must know that the ribs are connected by a cartilaginous part to which the joints to the sternum are connected. If excessive growth or structurally reduced stability of the cartilage occurs in this part, the sternum is pushed forward due to the lack of an alternative: a keel-like protrusion is formed.

A genetic, i.e. hereditary, cause of pigeon breast is strongly suspected, as the occurrence of pigeon breast is common in many families, but no gene responsible for it has been identified or an exact mode of inheritance has been described. This is contradicted by the fact that the disease occurs sporadically in other families, i.e. without sick relatives or identifiable triggers. A long-standing physical malposition is discussed as one of the causes of pigeon breast.

Furthermore, it occurs more frequently in connection with certain other basic diseases in which important metabolic processes are disturbed. One example of this is Marfan syndrome, in which weaknesses in the connective tissue, including cartilage, are present throughout the body. A malformation in the mother’s abdomen due to alcohol consumption during pregnancy is also considered a cause of pigeon breast. However, what exactly causes the increased growth of cartilage is still the subject of intensive research.