Vacuum Bell Before and After Photos
Many people who are interested in pursuing Vacuum Bell Therapy for Pectus Excavatum desire to see Vacuum Bell before and after photos. In this article, you will find real case examples and photos of people who have undergone Vacuum Bell Treatment with before and after photos. Most of these Photos have been taken from studies on on the effective of Vacuum Bell Therapy, and include scientifically documented results.
What is the Vacuum Bell?
The Vacuum Bell is a medical device for the non-invasive treatment of Pectus Excavatum. It is made up of a silicone bowl with an attached hand-pump. The bowl is placed over the chest indent, and the pump is squeezed to create a pulling vacuum over the chest. The pulling force of the vacuum lifts the sunken chest to a normal position over time. The device is usually worn for at least two hours per day for 12-24 months to attain permanent results with the treatment.
Vacuum Bell Before and After Pictures
Patient 1
16 year old male, with symmetric cup shaped pectus; excellent flexibility; initial depth = 1.5 cm, final depth = 0.4 cm.
This patient is a 16 year old male who completed 12 months of Vacuum Bell treatment. The photos are taken from a study done on the Vacuum Bell by Robert J. Obermeyer et al.
Patient 2
The above photo shows a cross section of a patients chest using computed tomography (CT). The change in the position of the chest is quite dramatic before and after the Vacuum Bell is applied. These images were taken from a scientific study on finding suitable patients for vacuum bell therapy.
Patient 3
The above patient is a 15 year old male who used the Vacuum Bell for a total of 12 months. The patient was confirmed to have maintained a permanent result after 10 months of ceasing therapy, which is typical for patients under 18 according to studies on Vacuum Bell results. The case also highlights that results on moderate (>1.5cm) pectus excavatum can still be achieved in patients under 18 with non-invasive Vacuum Bell treatment.
Patient 4
This patient is a 27 year old male who used the Vacuum Bell for a total of 12 months. The initial depth is unmeasured but looks mild to moderate. the after depth appears to be 0cm, or completely flat. The flaring of the lower ribs in the before example also looks to be fully corrected after the treatment.
Patient 5
9 year old boy, before (left: depth= 2.8 cm) after 10 months treatment (right: depth= 1.6cm) and 36 months after therapy (bottom)
The above photos show a 9 year old male patient from a study on the effectiveness of Vacuum Bell Therapy by Dr. Frank-Martin Haecker. This patient had moderate to severe pectus excavatum before treatment at a depth of 2.8cm. The bottom picture taken 36 months of treatment shows what seems to be a perfect correction, or close to 0cm depth.
Conclusion.
Vacuum Bell Treatment has been proven to be an effective tool for the non-surgical correction of Pectus Excavatum. Major studies done on the effectiveness of the Vacuum Bell since 2005 have recorded excellent outcomes with even moderate to severe cases of Pectus Excavatum. Vacuum Bell Therapy is a useful tool for conservative treatment of Pectus Excavatum in children, and other patients groups who are not suitable, or refuse treatment by surgical methods such as MIRPE (Nuss Procedure).
If you would like more information about this conservative treatment, see our in-depth guide on Vacuum Bell Therapy. If you are looking to acquire a Vacuum Bell Device, they are available to order through our Vacuum Bell Shop page.