Using Magnets to Correct 'Sunken Chest'

3MP uses a device that includes two parts: a titanium-encased magnet about the size of a quarter that is surgically attached to the child's breastbone during an outpatient visit, and a second magnet embedded in a lightweight plastic brace that the child wears under clothing. The attraction between the two magnets holds the brace in place, creating a steady, controlled, outward pull on the internal magnet to reshape the bone, cartilage, and chest wall. Because the internal magnet is placed just under the skin during an outpatient visit, the child can go home on the day of the procedure with relatively little discomfort. The child wears the brace for three to 12 months, depending on the severity of the deformity.

Both the use of the magnets and the 3MP device both been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The internal magnet is laser-welded in a titanium case. The magnets have been found to have no effect on the heart or other body parts, and studies have demonstrated that long-term exposure to magnetic fields is not harmful. Researchers are seeking potential study participants who have sunken chest and are between 8 and 14 years of age, otherwise healthy, and willing to participate in the 12-month-long study of the new procedure.

"The problem with present techniques is that they attempt to reshape the chest wall in one big operation,” said Michael Harrison, M.D., a professor of surgery and pediatrics emeritus at UCSF and lead investigator of the study. "A better idea is to apply a little force over a longer time, like the orthodontist moves your teeth.”

Sunken chest (pectus excavatum) is a deformity of the cartilage that connects the ribs to the breastbone. The deformed cartilage pulls the breastbone inward, making the chest look caved in or sunken. The condition occurs in about one in 800 children born in the United States each year and is three times more common in boys than girls.


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