Now, a new technique to correct chest deformity!

Technically known as pectus carinatum, the condition causes chest wall to protrude outward, giving the patient's chest the appearance of the breast of a bird. "For many years, the medical community treated pectus carinatum as a merely cosmetic issue. Pectus carinatum causes real physical and psychological problems for young people.

"We want physicians to understand that this condition should be treated. No child should have to suffer with it," said Robert Kelly, who led an international team which carried out the demonstration.

The new surgical technique was developed in South America by surgeons trained in a minimally invasive technique developed by Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters surgeon Dr Donald Nuss to correct pectus excavatum, a related condition that causes the chest to protrude inward.

The "Nuss technique" involves passing a curved bar inside the chest cavity, below the rib cage, to push out the indentation from underneath. After a period of time, the bar is removed and the chest grows normally, say the surgeons.

During a conference, Dr Kelly operated on a pectus carinatum patient, demonstrating "reverse Nuss" procedure, while one of the technique's pioneers, Dr. Patricio Varela of Santiago, Chile, offered narration.

Dr. Marcelo Martinez-Ferro of Argentina explained the history of the dynamic compression device, including the role of Drs. Nuss and Kelly in its development, and brought up four patients to the conference room to demonstrate how to use the new dynamic compression brace. "Both of these techniques are major advances in correction of pectus carinatum," said Dr Nuss.