Isolated sternal cleft in a patient with atrial septal defect: A rare sole association.

Sternal cleft (SC) is a rare form of chest wall deformity with an incidence of <0.15%. It occurs because of failure of fusion of the sternal bars about the 7-9th week of intrauterine life. It could occur in isolation or as a part of a syndromic complex. This condition exposes the vital mediastinal structures to a huge risk of injury, aside from cosmetic issues. Treatment in the neonatal period is most favourable, though other modalities are available in the later stages of life, but it can be challenging. We present the case of a 2-month-old female infant with a superior SC with a single association of secundum atrial septal defect. She was asymptomatic. She was treated by primary repair to protect the underlying mediastinal structures as well as for cosmetic reasons. Such a repair resulted in good clinical outcome.