Figure 1.

Chest wall measurements of a 16 year old male with severe pectus excavatum deformity. A Transverse TrueFISP (SSFP) images (TR/TE 630.5/1.4 msec, FA 80°): (a) minimum antero-posterior diameter of the chest (1.2 cm), (b) maximum transverse diameter of the chest (28.2 cm); (c) antero-posterior diameter of the left hemithorax (12.0 cm), (d) antero-posterior diameter of the right hemithorax (11.5 cm). The pectus index (b/a) in this case was 22.9, left chest flatness (b/c) was 2.35 and right chest flatness (b/d) was 2.44. B Transverse image showing complete (100%) leftward shift of the heart into left hemithorax. The maximum lateral distances of the left (LD_L = 15.02 cm) and right (LD_R = 0 cm) cardiac borders were measured from the midline (sterno-spinal line). Then cardiac left lateral shift (%) was measured as $(\frac{L{D}_L}{L{D}_L+L{D}_R})\times 100$. C Coronal TrueFISP image (TR/TE 630.5/1.4; msec, FA 80°) in same patient showing derivation of the indices of cardiac flatness: maximum horizontal diameter of the chest (e) which was 27.8 cm, maximum horizontal diameter of the heart (f) which was 14.8 cm and cardiac flatness (f/e) which was 0.53. D Sagittal image showing minimum AP diameter of the chest. Figure 1E-H Chest wall measurements in a 23 year old healthy subject male. E Transverse TrueFISP (SSFP) images (TR/TE 630.5/1.4; msec, FA 80°): (a) minimum antero-posterior diameter of the chest (9.07 cm), (b) maximum transverse diameter of the chest (24.7 cm); (c) antero-posterior diameter of the left hemithorax (13.3 cm), (d) antero-posterior diameter of the right hemithorax (13.0 cm). The chest index (b/a) in this case was 2.1, left chest flatness (b/c) was 1.8 and right chest flatness (b/d) was 1.9. F Transverse image showing leftward shift (67%) of the heart into left hemithorax. The maximum lateral distances of the left and right cardiac borders were measured as: LD_L = 8.71 cm and LD_R = 3.97 cm_. G and H are coronal and sagittal TrueFISP images in this healthy subject.