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Thoracic Insufficiency Syndrome
Other Diseases
There are other diseases that can affect thoracic volume without necessarily causing spine deformity. Jeune syndrome, in which there is a severe narrowing of the chest due to the failure of the ribs to grow, is an example of this phenomenon. This causes a hypoplastic (small) thorax, constricting the lungs from each side because of the narrow rib cage. Hypoplastic thorax can also be caused by a compromise in the height of the thorax in conditions such as Jarcho-Levine syndrome. Both of these syndromes are rare, but have a high mortality rate from respiratory problems early in life.
