About Ian Hunt
Consultant-led, delivered by a specialist.
Mr Ian Hunt is a Consultant Thoracic Surgeon with a highly specialised practice focused on chest wall deformities and complex rib conditions.
His work centres on pectus excavatum, pectus carinatum, chest wall asymmetry and complex or revision presentations — for children, adolescents and adults.
BSc (Hons)
MBBS
MRCS
FRCS (C-Th)
Clinical Philosophy
Careful assessment, clear explanation, honest advice.
"My aim is to provide calm, specialist-led care in which patients feel confident in both the diagnosis and the agreed plan."
— Ian Hunt, Consultant Thoracic & Chest Wall Surgeon
Mr Hunt's practice is focused exclusively on chest wall deformities and complex rib conditions. Every patient is assessed individually — considering their anatomy, their symptoms, and what matters to them — before any treatment is recommended.
Not all chest wall conditions require surgery, and many patients benefit most from reassurance, monitoring or non-operative management. Where surgery is appropriate, decisions are evidence-based, expectations are realistic, and patients are fully informed and supported throughout.
Medical Background & Training
Trained across London's leading cardiothoracic centres.
Mr Hunt qualified in Medicine with Distinction from University College London Medical School and completed Higher Specialist Training in Cardiothoracic Surgery across major London centres — including St Thomas', Guy's, St George's, the Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals.
He subsequently undertook advanced fellowship training in minimally invasive thoracic surgery at the University of Alberta, Canada, before returning to establish a substantive Consultant post at St George's Hospital and building one of the UK's most active specialist chest wall practices.
He has since made repeated visits to leading chest wall and pectus surgeons worldwide, maintaining an internationally connected specialist practice.
GMC Registration No. 4318675 · Specialist Register (Cardiothoracic Surgery)
Consultant Thoracic & Chest Wall SurgeonThe Harley Street Clinic, London
Current
Consultant Thoracic & Chest Wall SurgeonFortius Clinic, London
Current
Consultant Thoracic & Chest Wall SurgeonSpire St Anthony's Hospital, London
Current
Consultant Thoracic SurgeonSt George's Hospital, London — substantive NHS post
Current
Honorary Senior LecturerSt George's, University of London
Current
FRCS (Cardiothoracic Surgery)Royal College of Surgeons of England
FRCS
Advanced Fellowship — Minimally Invasive Thoracic SurgeryUniversity of Alberta, Canada
Fellowship
Higher Specialist Training — Cardiothoracic SurgerySE Thames rotation: St Thomas', Guy's, St George's, Royal Brompton, Harefield
HST
MRCSRoyal College of Surgeons of England
MRCS
BSc (Hons) & MBBS with DistinctionUniversity College London Medical School
UCL
Specialist Interest — Chest Wall & Rib Conditions
A dedicated chest wall and rib injury practice
Mr Hunt's specialist practice spans the full range of chest wall deformity, rib injury and chronic chest wall pain — from non-operative management through to complex reconstruction and revision surgery. He leads both the Pectus Clinic and the Rib Injury Clinic.
Conditions assessed
- Pectus excavatum
- Pectus carinatum
- Pectus arcuatum
- Mixed & asymmetrical pectus
- Rib flare
- Poland syndrome
- Slipping rib syndrome
- Rib fractures & non-union
- Sternal fractures & injury
- Costal cartilage injury
- Chest wall pain (acute & chronic)
- Chest wall lumps & tumours
- Complex & revision cases
- Post-traumatic chest wall deformity
- Chest wall asymmetry
- Associated posture & musculoskeletal conditions
Procedures & treatments offered
- External bracing — pectus carinatum & rib flare
- Vacuum bell therapy — pectus excavatum
- Physiotherapy & postural rehabilitation
- Pain management & trigger point injections
- Nuss procedure / MIRPE (adult & paediatric)
- Modified Ravitch repair / sterno-chondroplasty
- Hybrid corrective pectus surgery
- CAD custom implant reconstruction — pectus & Poland syndrome
- Bar removal & revision pectus surgery
- Slipping rib repair — rib-tip excision or stabilisation
- Open reduction internal fixation (ORIF) — rib fractures
- Open reduction internal fixation (ORIF) — sternal fractures
- Complex chest wall reconstruction for trauma
- Chest wall resection & reconstruction for tumours
- Cryotherapy for chest wall pain
~10,000
Patients assessed for chest wall problems
1,000+
Pectus & chest wall operations performed
Clinical outcomes routinely collected, audited and published
UK & Global
Referrals from across the UK and internationally
NHS & Private Roles
Substantive NHS consultant, with senior private practice across London.
Mr Hunt holds a substantive NHS Consultant appointment alongside specialist chest wall practice at two of London's leading private hospitals, with honorary and leadership roles that reflect the depth of his thoracic and trauma experience.
Clinical Appointments
- Consultant Thoracic Surgeon — St George's Hospital, London (NHS)
- Consultant Thoracic & Chest Wall Surgeon — Fortius Clinic, London
- Consultant Thoracic & Chest Wall Surgeon — Spire St Anthony's Hospital
- Consultant Thoracic & Chest Wall Surgeon — The Harley Street Clinic
Leadership & Education
- Thoracic Trauma Lead — St George's & SW London Major Trauma Network
- Educational Lead — Department of Thoracic Surgery, St George's
- Deputy Training Programme Director (Thoracic) — London Deanery
- Expert Advisory Panel — Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation
Academic & Honorary
- Honorary Consultant — Royal Marsden Hospital, London
- Honorary Consultant — Royal Brompton Hospital, London
- Honorary Senior Lecturer — St George's, University of London
- Lecturer, MSc Oncology — Institute of Cancer Research, London
Professional Memberships
- Fellow — Royal College of Surgeons of England (FRCS C-Th)
- Society for Cardiothoracic Surgery in GB & Ireland (SCTS)
- Chest Wall International Group (CWIG)
- Chest Wall Injury Society (CWIS)
Research, Teaching & Publications
Active in research, teaching and professional leadership.
Mr Hunt contributes actively to clinical research in thoracic and chest wall surgery, with particular focus on pectus deformity, rib injury and chest wall reconstruction. He mentors surgical trainees and supports and proctors colleague consultants developing specialist chest wall techniques. He is regularly invited to speak at national and international meetings.
220+
Scientific communications, including peer-reviewed publications, book chapters, abstracts and invited presentations
5+
Textbooks & book chapters — including Bailey & Love's Short Practice of Surgery
Invited speaker at national & international chest wall and thoracic meetings
Posters, Abstracts & Presentations — Chest Wall, Pectus & Rib Conditions
2026
How to Design your Chest Wall Injury Programme.
Hunt I. CWIS/KLS Martin Surgical Stabilisation of Rib Fractures Course, London. June 2026. [Invited lecture]
2026
Imaging and Timing.
Hunt I. CWIS/KLS Martin Surgical Stabilisation of Rib Fractures Course, London. June 2026. [Invited lecture]
2026
Building a Comprehensive Chest Wall Service: UK experience.
Hunt I. CWIS Ribinar (webinar). March 2026. [Invited lecture]
2025
Anaesthetic Considerations for the Nuss Procedure.
Hunt I. ACTACC Webinar, St George's. December 2025. [Invited lecture]
2025
Pectus Deformities: Assessment and Treatment.
Hunt I. Spire Hull Evening Lecture. November 2025. [Invited lecture]
2025
Management of the Different Painful Costal Cartilage Syndromes.
Hunt I. Chest Wall Injury Society (CWIS) International, Brussels, Belgium. September 2025. [Invited international lecture]
2025
Keynote — Current Evidence for Non-Surgical Management of Pectus Deformity.
Hunt I. SCTS Annual Meeting, Edinburgh. March 2025. [Keynote lecture]
2025
New Technique for Rib Stabilisation in Slipped Rib Syndrome Using a Ladder Plate for Selected Primary and Revision Surgeries: Preoperative Protocol and Surgical Description.
Syed N, Al Shammari A, Hunt I. SCTS Annual Meeting, Edinburgh. March 2025.
2025
Dynamic Compressive Bracing Treatment of Pectus Carinatum: An Evidence-Based Best Practice.
Santhirakumaran G, Lee M, Hunt I. SCTS Annual Meeting, Edinburgh. March 2025.
2025
Guidance on Vacuum Bell Treatment of Pectus Excavatum: An Evidence-Based Best Practice.
Santhirakumaran G, Lee M, Hunt I. SCTS Annual Meeting, Edinburgh. March 2025.
2025
Anthropometric and Postural Characteristics of Young Patients with Pectus Deformity.
Al Shammari A, Patel A, Hunt I. SCTS Annual Meeting, Edinburgh. March 2025.
2025
Ravitch & Hybrid Procedures: Tips and Tricks.
Hunt I. Barts Pectus Symposium, London. January 2025. [Invited lecture]
2025
Vacuum Bell Therapy for Pectus Excavatum.
Hunt I. Barts Pectus Symposium, London. January 2025. [Invited lecture]
2023
Debate: Who Should Plate Rib Fractures?
Hunt I, Scott S. SCTS Annual Meeting, Birmingham. March 2023. [Invited debate]
2023
Rib Fracture Management in the Elderly Population: A Single-Centre Series.
Phui Kew E, Hunt I. SCTS Annual Meeting, Birmingham. March 2023.
2022
Chest Trauma — Excess Mortality Review from a Single Trauma Centre.
Phui Kew E, Hunt I. SCTS Annual Meeting, Belfast. May 2022.
2022
Targeted Surgical Management of Slipping Rib Syndrome.
Santhirakumaran G, Shah M, Hunt I. SCTS Annual Meeting, Belfast. May 2022.
2021
Developing a Protocol for the Management of Slipping Rib Syndrome.
Santhirakumaran G, Kar A, Shah A, Hunt I. SCTS Annual Meeting (virtual). March 2021.
2020
Pectus Chest Deformities: New Treatment.
Hunt I. Marfan Trust Webinar, London. October 2020. [Invited lecture]
2020
Slipped Rib Syndrome (video presentation).
Santhirakumaran G, Kar A, Shah M, Hunt I. SCTS Annual Meeting, Newport. March 2020. [Postponed — COVID-19]
2020
Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing in Pectus Excavatum.
Afoke J, Haji G, Howard L, Hunt I. SCTS Annual Meeting, Newport. March 2020. [Postponed — COVID-19]
2019
When Should Rib Fractures Be Fixed?
Hunt I. SCTS Annual Meeting, London. March 2019. [Invited lecture]
2019
Sternum and Chest Wall Excision Followed by Neo-rib Reconstruction for Localised Biphasic Mesothelioma.
Smelt J, Hunt I. SCTS Annual Meeting, London. March 2019.
2019
Epidemiology of Pectus Carinatum: Assessment of 258 Consecutive Patients.
Patel AJ, Hunt I. SCTS Annual Meeting, London. March 2019.
2019
'Pectus Posture' and Musculoskeletal Disorders in Pectus Carinatum.
Patel AJ, Hunt I. SCTS Annual Meeting, London. March 2019.
2019
Pectus Carinatum and Associated Rib Abnormalities.
Patel AJ, Hunt I. SCTS Annual Meeting, London. March 2019.
2019
Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing in Pectus Excavatum.
Afoke J, Haji G, Howard L, Hunt I. SCTS National Research Meeting, Leicester. 2019. [Oral presentation]
2018
Does Every Rib Fracture Need Fixation?
Hunt I. SCTS Annual Meeting, Glasgow. March 2018. [Invited lecture]
2018
Insertion of Nuss Bar Safely: Trainee Case.
Hunt I, Smelt J. SCTS Annual Meeting, Glasgow. March 2018.
2018
Clinical Outcomes of Non-Compressive External Bracing for Pectus Carinatum.
Harling L, Fraser S, Richards T, Hunt I. SCTS Annual Meeting, Glasgow. March 2018.
2018
Pectus Index: A Novel Marker for Clinical Severity of Pectus Carinatum Deformity.
Harling L, Fraser S, Hunt I. SCTS Annual Meeting, Glasgow. March 2018.
2014
Floating Tenth Rib Syndrome May Be Normal: Cadaveric Anatomical Study.
Bilkhu RS, Wicks S, Szarko M, Hunt I. ACTSA. November 2014.
2011
Multidetector CT for Pectus Deformities.
Nair, Pissay P, Rao G, Tan C, Hunt I, Vlahos J. RSNA Annual Meeting, Chicago. 2011.
Selected Publications — Chest Wall, Pectus & Rib Conditions
2025
Prospective evaluation and successful outcomes using vacuum bell therapy for pectus excavatum in selected paediatric patients: analysis of a prospective cohort of 240 patients.
AlShammari A et al, Hunt I. Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. 2025.
2022
Reshaping the evidence for surgical correction of pectus excavatum using cardiopulmonary exercise testing.
Kar A, Baghai M, Hunt I. Journal of the American Heart Association. 2022.
2022
Place of 3D custom-made implants after failure of modelling sterno-chondroplasties [revision pectus — CAD implants].
Chavoin JP et al, Hunt I. Annales de chirurgie plastique et esthétique. 2022.
2021
The role of computer-aided design implant insertion in revision pectus surgery.
Chavoin JP, Patel AJ, Hunt I et al. Annals of Thoracic Surgery. 2021.
2021
Dynamic ultrasound for slipping rib syndrome: a diagnostic and interventional tool.
Turbayne A, Shah M, Hunt I. Sonography. 2021.
2021
Acute diaphragmatic injuries associated with traumatic rib fractures: experience of a major trauma centre and the importance of intra-pleural assessment.
Hunt I et al. Journal of Chest Surgery. 2021.
2020
Anaesthesia for the surgical correction of chest wall deformities.
Ghafoor T, Alshami A, Hunt I. BJA Education. 2020.
2020
Are non-radiation-based imaging modalities effective for objectively assessing and monitoring patients with pectus deformities?
Hunt I et al. Interactive Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery. 2020.
2019
External compressive bracing with initial reduction of pectus carinatum: compliance is the key.
Fraser S, Harling L, Hunt I et al. Annals of Thoracic Surgery. 2019.
2019
Initial reduction of flexible pectus carinatum with outpatient manipulation as an adjunct to external compressive bracing: technique and early outcomes at 12 weeks.
Fraser S et al, Hunt I. Journal of Pediatric Surgery. 2019.
2019
Effectiveness of compressive external bracing in patients with flexible pectus carinatum deformity: a review.
Hunt I et al. Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgeon. 2019.
2019
Is vacuum bell therapy effective in the correction of pectus excavatum?
Patel AJ, Hunt I. Interactive Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery. 2019.
2018
Pectus updates and special considerations in Marfan syndrome.
Fraser S, Child A, Hunt I. Pediatric Reports. 2018.
2016
The role of a video-assisted thoracic approach for rib fixation.
Hunt I et al. European Journal of Trauma and Emergency Surgery. 2016.
2010
Video-assisted intercostal nerve cryoablation in managing intractable chest wall pain.
Hunt I et al. Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. 2010.
Book Chapters
2019
Pectus Excavatum Surgery; Poland Syndrome Surgery.
In: Chavoin JP, ed. Pectus Excavatum and Poland Syndrome Surgery. Springer. 2019.
2018
Contributing author — ABC of Pleural Diseases.
Wiley-Blackwell. 2018.
2009
Contributing author — ABC of Lung Cancer.
Wiley-Blackwell. 2009.
Mult.
Contributing author — Bailey & Love's Short Practice of Surgery.
CRC Press / Hodder Arnold. Multiple editions.
This list covers selected publications in chest wall deformity, pectus and rib injury, verified against PubMed. Mr Hunt's full publication record of over 220 peer-reviewed papers, conference abstracts and textbook contributions spans thoracic oncology, thoracic surgery, trauma and education. Full list available on request or via PubMed. Academic output summary updated June 2026.
Questions about a pectus or chest wall concern?
Every consultation begins with careful assessment and clear explanation. If surgery isn't the right step, Mr Hunt will say so.