To investigate the etiology, diagnosis, treatment and significance of a new type of suppurative costochondritis.

The clinical data of 13 patients with suppurative costochondritis in the Thoracic and Cardiac Surgery Department of the Affiliated Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine of Southwest Medical University from May 2007 to April 2022 and the guiding effect of the new classification on the operation were retrospectively analyzed. The new classification includes: type Ⅰ, single costochondral infection; type Ⅱ, combined costal cartilage infection on one side; type Ⅲ, bilateral combined costicartilage infection without accumulating the sternum; type Ⅳ, bilateral combined costicartilage infection and sternum.

All patients underwent surgical resection of the lesion, with a total of 19 operations. Six patients had mild abnormal breathing, and no perioperative death. The prognosis was good.

The misdiagnosis rate of suppurative costochondritis is high. Combining different preoperative localization methods with intraoperative exploration and complete resection of the focus is an effective method to treat the disease. The new classification is of guiding significance to the operation mode, and greatly improves the probability of complete resection of lesions.