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ORPHA:2017Morphological anomaly
Also called Sternum bifidum · Cleft sternum
What it is
A rare idiopathic congenital thoracic malformation characterized by a sternal fusion defect, that can be complete or partial (either superior or inferior), that is usually asymptomatic in the neonatal period (apart from a paradoxical midline thoracic bulging) but that can lead to dyspnea, cough, frequent respiratory infections and increased risk of trauma-related injury to the heart, lungs and major vessels if left untreated.
Key facts
- Prevalence
- 1-9 / 100 000 (Europe)
- Age of onset
- Antenatal, Neonatal
- Inheritance
- Not applicable
- Classified as
- Morphological anomaly
Prevalence figures describe populations, not individuals, and are often estimates from a single study. Where the figure is an incidence or a birth prevalence, it says so.
Signs and symptoms
These ranges are how often a sign appears across everyone diagnosed, not a prediction for one person — most people have some of these and not others. Orphanet also records findings that are specifically absent in this disease; those are in the data but not listed here.
ICD-10 codes
Related health topics
Reached through the ICD-10 categories this disease is filed under, so these describe the broader group rather than this disease specifically.
Benefit programs to look at
Programs whose eligibility touches the same ICD-10 categories. Eligibility is decided by the administering agency, never by this page.
Cross-references
Orphadata Science: Free access data from Orphanet. © INSERM 1999. Data version 2026-06-23. Available under CC BY 4.0. This is a reference, not medical advice.
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