Pectus excavatum from chronic upper airway obstruction.

Two patient with enlarged adenoids and tonsils had cardiopulmonary distress and pectus excavatum. In both patients, the cardiorespiratory difficulty and the pectus deformity were relieved by removing the obstructive adenoids and tonsils. This observation supports the hypothesis that upper airway obstruction can cause a chest wall deformity. In a patient with cardiorespiratory distress and pectus excavatum, upper airway obstruction should be considered.