Rib Removal due to Pain from Costochondral Separation

Q: Dr. Eppley, I saw that you had performed the surgeries on Pixee Foxx and seemed very confident in his ability. I tore the cartilage on my last true rib on my left side and it has begun to protrude. I have been misdiagnosed several times and have decide I just want it removed. I hope to hear from you soon.

A: When you speak of the last ‘true’ rib I assume you mean rib #10 as the floating or so called false ribs are #11s and 12. I also assume that by tearing the cartilage you mean a separation off the costochondral junction  between the bony and the cartilaginous portion of the rib as it goes around the ribcage before int connects to the subcostal region. This is where the protrusion would occur as a result of the separation. Do you have a CT scan that makes the correlation between the protrusion and the underlying costochondral junction? Certainly the protruding rib portions can be removed through a small incision over it. Excising the bony portion next to the costochondral would presumably alleviate the discomfort from the non-union and motion of the rib segments.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana