Chest Wall Abnormalities

The chest wall constitutes a relatively conspicuous space made up primarily of bones, muscles and fat. The chest wall also contains specialized tissues such as nerves, lymph nodes, blood vessels, and breast tissue. Abnormalities that lead to either masses or absence of these tissues are usually obvious upon visual inspection but occasionally imaging is required for evaluation. Differential diagnoses are very much based on the age, the symptoms and the tissue of origin. CT and MR are often both used as a result of their complementary nature. Congenital variations of the chest wall such as Poland syndrome, and Pectus Excavitum/carinatum must be understood to avoid confusion with pathology. Certain tumors are typical of the chest wall (Desmoid tumors and elastofibroma dorsi) and the thoracic radiologist should be familiar with their CT and MR appearances.