Bifid rib – usefulness of chest ultrasound. A case report

Abstract

The paper presents the possibility of using ultrasonography in the diagnosis of a congenital rib anomaly in the form of bifid rib. Bifid rib is a rare congenital abnormality of anterior chest wall. It manifests as a chest “lump.” Such lesions are detected during a routine physical examination or chest X-ray which is often performed for other reasons. The overall prevalence of bifid rib is estimated at 0.15% to 3.4% (mean 2%) and it accounts for approximately 20% of all congenital rib anomalies. It is usually an unilateral lesion. The cases presented herein constitute the first pediatric cases in the available literature in which bifid rib anomaly was visualized by ultrasound examination.

Keywords

• bifid rib
• chest ultrasound
• congenital abnormality of anterior chest wall
• Gorlin-Goltz syndrome
• anterior chest wall tumor