Can Ribs 8 and 9 Have Osteotomies along with Rib 10, 11 and 12 Removals?

Q: Dr. Eppley,I’ve been looking at your posts and I’ve noticed that you can modify the ribs up to the 7th or 6th, if I remember correctly. So I’d like to have a rib removal from the 12th to the 9th or 8th, and for the other two ribs or the rib above, an osteotomy to reduce them.

A: For modification of the lower rib cage I have expanded the level of the rib reductions up to nine and eight with osteotomies at these upper levels. This can certainly be done as long as one can tolerate the longer vertical lateral back scar to do so.

Dr. Barry Eppley

World-Renowned Plastic Surgeon