Various skeletal abnormalities, including chest deformity, have been r
eported with Turner's syndrome. We report radiologic findings of the s
ternum on lateral chest roentgenograms in 15 children and adolescents
with Turner's syndrome, whose ages ranged between 2 weeks and 20 years
. Eight had associated congenital heart disease (CHD). Twelve patients
(80 percent) had various sternal abnormalities; 5 had short sternum,
3 had premature fusion of the manubrio-sternal junction, and 4 had pre
mature fusion of the mesosternum. Five had decreased ratio of sternal
body to manubrium. Three patients had two ossification centers of the
manubrium. Four patients had bowing of the mesosternum; three of these
had mild pectus excavatum also. In this series, children with and wit
hout CHD had similar sternal abnormalities. Although not pathognomonic
, sternal abnormalities on a lateral chest roentgenogram are common sk
eletal abnormalities associated with Turner's syndrome and are indepen
dent of associated CHD. In our series of 15 patients, 10 had monosomy
(45,X) on blood karyotype; 7 of them had associated CHD. This is the f
irst systematic analysis of radiologic abnormalities of the sternum in
Turner's syndrome and includes findings not previously reported.