The technique beyond aesthetics: thoracic deformities
Rib remodeling is known for its aesthetic use. This study explores something else: its reconstructive use, in 20 patients with congenital, traumatic or post-surgical thoracic deformities. One-year follow-up, mean waist reduction of 10 cm, and no complications during follow-up.
Which deformities it addresses
These are not patients seeking a narrower waist. They are women aged 18 to 40 with a thoracic asymmetry or protrusion of:
- congenital origin, present from birth
- traumatic origin, following an impact or prior fracture
- post-surgical origin, resulting from an earlier operation
The authors note that the reconstructive use of the technique «has not been widely explored». This work is an attempt to document it.
What it contributes: a classification for planning
Beyond the outcomes, the study develops a classification system for the deformities to guide surgical planning. In this series the distribution was:
| Type | Frequency |
|---|---|
| Type IIA | 75% |
| Type IIB | 3% |
| Type IB | 1% |
| Type IC | 1% |
The most affected rib was the 11th (70%), followed by the 10th (55%) on the right; on the left, the 11th (25%), the 10th (15%) and the 12th (5%).
Depending on the case, RibXcar alone was performed, or RibXcar plus rib conversion surgery (XONVERSIONRIBS).
Results and limits
Mean waist reduction of 10 cm at one year after surgery, no complications during follow-up, and high satisfaction measured with the Body-Q questionnaire, a validated instrument for body-contouring surgery.
The limits are clear and worth stating: this is 20 patients. It is a small prospective cohort with no comparison group. It documents that reconstructive use is feasible and how to plan it; it does not establish a reliable complication rate at that scale.
Six authors, led by the creator of the technique. This is not an independent study.