Which of the following statements regarding congenital chest wall deformities are true?

a. Children with pectus excavatum deformities typically have physiologically insignificant limitation of exercise tolerance

d. The most common indication for operative repair of congenital chest wall deformities is cosmesis 

The most common congenital chest wall deformity is pectus excavatum, representing approximately 90% of the total. Approximately 5% to 7% of the lesions are pectus carinatum and a variety comprise the remainder. Most children with pectus excavatum are asymptomatic. There have been numerous efforts to document associated cardiac and pulmonary abnormalities. Objective data show that although there are minor demonstrable cardiopulmonary abnormalities demonstrable, these do not appear to be significantly improved by surgery and they are generally insignificant physiologically. As a result, the indications for repair of chest wall deformities are essentially cosmetic and psychological.

The importance of these however should not be minimized in a largely adolescent population. The repair is technically straightforward but involves moderate morbidity. The long-term results are excellent. Recurrence is rare (approximately 1%) in most institutions with large experiences.