Congenital Superior Sternal Cleft in a Newborn: A Case Report and Literature Review

Abstract

Background: Congenital sternal clefts (SC) are rare idiopathic anomalies of thoracic cage. The incidence of congenital sternal cleft is 0.15% of all chest wall malformations. Case Report: A male infant born to fourth gravid mother by normal vaginal delivery who cried immediately after birth had a thin defective skin layer over upper part chest. On palpation there was no feel of sternum in the upper part. The cardiac contractions were visible over the skin defect. The chest CT scan showed absence of superior portion of sternum. There were no other anomalies detected in chest wall or surrounding tissues. This infant was diagnosed to have congenital sternal cleft. Primary surgical closure was done which was uneventful. The infant did not have post-operative complications. Conclusion: The congenital SC is rare anomaly of chest wall which cannot be detected by routine antenatal ultrasound examination. The traumatic injury to visceral organs is a major complication. Hence the diagnosis should be made at the earliest in suspected cases and treated.