Other remote dangers of rib surgery include damage to the nerves running beneath the ribs and damage to the kidneys behind the floating ribs. Cosmetic risks include asymmetry, visible wounds, and ribs that return to their original position (mainly due to the use of inappropriate corsets), experts say. In rare cases, “For some reason, the bones don’t completely heal. You can get what you call non-union,” says Dr. Sheeber.
Critics of the procedure worry about the effects of surgery on the lungs over time. If removal of the rib can compromise breathing, can remodeling the rib pose a similar risk? The thoracic cage plays a role in breathing by providing space for the lungs to fully expand. He explains that he receives the procedure, “Deliberately shrinking the lower part of the chest wall prevents the lungs from reaching the space they intend to have.” “The more you make it when you try to pull your waistline, the less space your lungs will have for deep breaths.”
Dr. Torino compared the effect of inhaling deeply while wearing a corset or spax. “You can do that, but it’s a little more difficult than unlimited breathing,” he says. After surgery, patients’ lung function tests may appear slightly different, but in his opinion, the slightest change is “relatively unimportant to a large part of the population.” “The lungs usually only extend to the 10th rib,” adds Dr. Hadeed, and generally the 11th and 12th ribs are rearranged.
Dr. Teitelbaum argues that even a small loss of lung function can actually make sense. He claims, “It’s like saying that a small heart attack is irrelevant to most people.” “These things need to be known,” he says. However, such testing is not currently a standard practice. None of the surgeons I spoke to spoke to anyone who modified the rib.
Overall, there is a lack of data. “The remodeling of the ribs has not been very long, so there is very little research examining techniques and results, let alone the lung function and respiratory dynamics associated with the changes these operations make,” says Dr. Rubinstein. I found it study From 2024, we have detailed the modification process of “winged ribs” (a condition in which the ribs are visibly protruding from the chest). The surgeon reduced rib bones from the front of the body (as is conventional with the lower back) and conducted lung tests on preoperative and postoperative patients. They did not record any significant changes in pulmonary function six months after surgery. (The winged rib approach makes surgeons work “a lot closer to the lungs” than during traditional rib modifications,” says Dr Hadied.
Dr. Rubinstein is concerned about the modification of the rib, but he is out of control of the procedure. “In the right situation, I think there’s a role in almost everything, when the patient is well informed of the risks and can carry out the procedure with enough level of safety and satisfaction,” he says. Looking ahead, he adds: BBL looked exotic 20 years ago, he reminds me, but today it is played on a daily basis at ORSs around the country.
Dr. Teitelbaum believes that the emergence of rib remodeling will raise interesting moral questions: Do you do anything that the patient wants?
But there is this question: Who defines “slip-dic”?
For now, Dr. Rubinstein said: “I’m waiting to see how rib rim remodeling pans before I start offering it to my patients. I think I’m thinking in the long run for a short slide.”
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