UNASSIGNED: Primary and secondary chest wall tumors (bone, breast, and soft tissue), congenital defects, and chest wall osteoradionecrosis often require extensive full-thickness local excisions to guarantee safe oncological margins (in cases of tumors) and complex reconstruction to provide stabilization and good biomechanical results avoiding postoperative respiratory failure. Thus, a personalized approach is required when dealing with chest wall defects, and reconstruction is planned. This review summarizes failed chest wall reconstruction procedures, identifies causes of failure, and highlights principles for complex chest wall reconstruction post-failure.
UNASSIGNED: We performed a narrative review of the literature on PubMed, Scopus, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar, including all the relevant studies published from 1970.
UNASSIGNED: The available experiences in literature are only anecdotic and no current guidelines or rules exist on this topic, also given to its rarity. Proper pre-surgical planning and a multidisciplinary team (MDT) discussion are crucial for complex cases such as infections and radiation-induced chest ulcers after previous surgical treatment. Procedures should eventually include thoracic wall debridement, necrotic tissue excision, pulse-jet lavage, prosthesis removal, and vacuum assisted closure (VAC) therapy as a bridge for chest wall re-reconstruction. Sternotomy wounds require wire and prosthesis removal, and the use of meshes or bone allografts. This review aims to summarize experiences and highlight surgical and oncologic principles for complex chest wall reconstruction after failure.
UNASSIGNED: This review summarizes literature experiences to identify common key points for chest wall reconstruction after failure and to give some advice to surgeons managing this rare, challenging surgery.

UNASSIGNED: This study aimed to compare patients in whom wide chest wall resection and reconstruction or primary closure was performed.
UNASSIGNED: A total of 63 patients who underwent chest wall resection and reconstruction between January 2018 and December 2022 were included in the retrospective study. The patients were divided into two groups: the first group, which included 31 patients (14 males, 17 females; mean age: 44.6±16.4 years; range, 16 to 71 years) who were closed primarily, and the second group, constituting 32 patients (25 males, 7 females; mean age: 54.6±17.2 years; range, 9 to 80 years) who underwent reconstruction with plates and meshes.
UNASSIGNED: There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of smoking and diabetes. Primary chest wall or metastatic tumor was determined in 33 patients; benign tumor and trauma were determined in 30 patients. The difference between the two groups in mean defect diameter (p=0.009), mean number of plates used (p<0.001), and mean hospital stay (p<0.001) was statistically significant. However, there was no significant difference in terms of complications (p=0.426).
UNASSIGNED: Wide chest wall resection and reconstruction is a safe and feasible surgical procedure when compared with primary closure.

UNASSIGNED: Reconstruction of full thickness chest wall defects is challenging and is associated with a considerable risk of complications. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the surgical outcomes and their associations with patient and treatment characteristics following full thickness chest wall reconstruction.
UNASSIGNED: A retrospective observational study was performed by including patients who underwent reconstruction of full thickness chest wall defect at the Erasmus MC between January 2014 and December 2020. The type of reconstruction was categorized into skeletal and soft tissue reconstructions. For skeletal reconstruction, only non-rigid prosthetic materials were used. Patient and surgical characteristics were retrieved and analyzed for associations with postoperative complications.
UNASSIGNED: Thirty-two women and 10 men with a mean age of 60 years were included. In 26 patients (61.9%), the reconstruction was performed using prosthetic material and a soft tissue flap, in nine cases (21.4%) only a soft tissue flap was used, and in seven other patients (16.7%) only the prosthetic material was used. Pedicled musculocutaneous latissimus dorsi flaps were used most often (n=17), followed by pectoralis major flaps (n=8) and free flaps (n=8). Twenty-two patients (52.4%) developed at least one postoperative complication. Wounds (21.4%) and pulmonary (19.0%) complications occurred most frequently. Five (11.9%) patients required reoperation. There were no associations between patient and treatment characteristics and the occurrence of major complications. There was no mortality.
UNASSIGNED: Reconstruction of full thickness chest wall defects using only non-rigid prosthetic material for skeletal reconstruction appears safe with an acceptable reoperation rate and low mortality, questioning the need for rigid fixation techniques.

UNASSIGNED: Desmoplastic fibroma presents similar to other soft tissue tumors to such an extent that even a gold standard investigation can miss.
UNASSIGNED: This is to report a mass in a 47-year-old male arising from the chest wall, which was first thought to be a hemangioma but was later diagnosed as a case of desmoplastic fibroblastoma with the help of a biopsy.

BACKGROUND: Chest wall resections for malignant chest wall tumors (MCWTs), particularly those with full-thickness chest wall involvement requiring reconstruction, present a therapeutic challenge for thoracic and plastic reconstructive surgeons. The purpose of this study was to review our experience with chest wall resection for primary and metastatic MCWTs, with a focus on perioperative outcomes and postoperative overall survival (OS).
METHODS: All patients who underwent surgical resection for primary and secondary MCWTs at our single institution between 2000 and 2019 were retrospectively analyzed.
RESULTS: A total of 42 patients (25 male, median age 60 years) operated upon with curative (n = 37, 88.1%) or palliative (n = 5, 11.9%) intent were reviewed. Some 33 (78%) MCWTs were of secondary origin. Chest wall reconstruction was required in 40 (95%) cases. A total of 13 (31%) patients had postoperative complications and one (2.3%) died perioperatively. The 5-year postoperative overall survival rate was 51.9%. The postoperative 5-year survival rate of 42.6% in patients with secondary MCWTs was significantly lower compared to the figure of 87.5% in patients with primary MCWTs.
CONCLUSIONS: In well-selected patients, chest wall resections for primary and secondary MCWTs are feasible and associated with good perioperative outcomes. For secondary MCWTs, surgery can also be performed with palliative intent.

The extension of chest wall resection for the treatment of primary and secondary tumours is still widely debated. The reconstructive strategy after extensive surgery is challenging as well as chest wall demolition itself. Reconstructive surgery aims to avoid respiratory failure and to guarantee intra-thoracic organs protection. The purpose of this review is to analyse the literature on this issue focusing on the planning strategy for chest wall reconstruction. This is a narrative review, reporting data from the most interesting studies on chest wall demolition and reconstruction. Representative surgical series on chest wall thoracic surgery were selected and described. We focused to identify the best reconstructive strategies analyzing employed materials, techniques of reconstruction, morbidity and mortality. Nowadays the new \"bio-mimetic\" materials in \"rigid\" and \"non-rigid\" chest wall systems reconstructive represent new horizons for the treatment of challenging thoracic diseases. Further prospective studies are warranted to identify new materials enhancing thoracic function after major thoracic excisions.

OBJECTIVE: Malignant chest wall tumors are rare in pediatrics. They require multimodal oncological treatment and local surgical control. Resections are extensive; therefore, thoracoplasty should be planned to protect intrathoracic organs, prevent herniation, future deformities, preserve ventilatory dynamics, and enable radiotherapy.
METHODS: We present a case series of children with malignant chest wall tumors and our surgical experience with thoracoplasty using absorbable rib substitutes (BioBridge®), after local surgical control. BioBridge® is a copolymer made of a polylactide acid blend (70% L-lactic acid y 30% DL-lactide).
RESULTS: In 2 years, we had three patients with malignant chest wall tumors. Resection margins were negative, without recurrence at follow-up. We achieved good cosmetic and functional results, and no postoperative complications.
CONCLUSIONS: Alternative reconstruction techniques such as absorbable rib substitutes provide protection, guarantee a flexible chest wall, and do not interfere with adjuvant radiotherapy. Currently, there are no management protocols in thoracoplasty. This option represents an excellent alternative for patients with chest wall tumors. Knowledge of different approaches and reconstructive principles is essential to offer children the best onco-surgical option.

BACKGROUND: Resection of pediatric chest wall tumors can result in large defects requiring reconstruction for function and cosmesis. Multiple reconstructive methods have been described. We performed a systematic review of the literature to describe commonly used approaches and outcomes.
METHODS: A systematic literature search was performed for English-language publications describing chest wall tumor resection and reconstruction using implantable materials in patients ≤21 years, excluding soft tissue resection only, sternal resection, and reconstruction by primary repair or muscle flaps alone. Data were collected on diagnoses, reconstructive method, and outcomes. Rigid chest wall reconstruction was compared to mesh reconstruction.
RESULTS: There were 55 articles with 188 patients included. The median age was 12 years. Most tumors were malignant (n = 172, 91.5%), most commonly Ewing\'s sarcoma (n = 65, 34.6%), followed by unspecified sarcomas (n = 34, 18.1%), Askin\'s tumor (n = 16, 8.5%; a subset of Ewing\'s sarcoma) and osteosarcoma (n = 16, 8.5%). A median of 3 ribs were resected (range 1-12). Non-rigid meshes were most common (n = 138, 73.4%), followed by rigid prostheses (n = 50, 26.6%). There were 19 post-operative complications (16.8%) and 22.2% of patients developed scoliosis. There were no significant differences in complications (20.5% rigid vs. 10.6% non-rigid, p = 0.18) or scoliosis (22.7% vs. 14.0%, p = 0.23) by reconstruction method, but complications after rigid reconstruction were more likely to require surgery (90.0% vs. 53.9%, p = 0.09). The median follow-up duration was 24 months.
CONCLUSIONS: In this review of the literature, there were no significant differences in overall post-operative complications or scoliosis development by reconstruction method, yet complications after rigid reconstruction were more likely to require surgical intervention.
METHODS: Level IV.

UNASSIGNED: In this study, we aimed to investigate the correlation between the side of elastofibroma dorsi formation and the dominant-hand of the patients we operated.
UNASSIGNED: A total of 84 patients with elastofibroma dorsi (12 males, 72 females; mean age: 55.5±7.0 years; range, 43 to 74 years) were retrospectively analyzed between April 2007 and May 2019. Dominant hand, location, size, sex, age, occupations and follow-up of the mass were recorded and the pre- and postoperative Visual Analog Scale scores were noted.
UNASSIGNED: The mean symptom duration was 9.5±7.8 (range, 3 to 48) months. The lesions were located on the right in 49 (58.3%), on the left in 16 (19%) and bilateral in 19 (22.6%). There was no significant difference between the mass size and age, symptom duration and complication development (p=0.129). A significant relation was found between the formation of the mass on the side of the dominant hand (p=0.010). A significant difference was found between the pre- and postoperative Day 90 Visual Analog Scale scores (p<0.001), indicating a significant decrease in the pain scores.
UNASSIGNED: Elastofibroma dorsi has good clinical results after surgical resection. In our series, the patients had significantly more elastofibroma dorsi on their dominant-hand side.

Several materials and techniques have been described for the procedure of chest wall reconstruction: the choice of using a technique or a material over another relies mainly on the surgeon\'s experience as well as thoracic defect localization and dimension, local availability of materials, and costs. From a technical point of view, autologous and alloplastic reconstruction are available, and, in both cases, rigid and non-rigid prostheses are found. Each material has its peculiarities, with advantages and disadvantages; thus, it is mandatory to be confident when planning the intervention to foresee possible complications and minimize them. We have reviewed the literature on chest wall reconstruction in chest wall tumors (both malignant and non malignant) with non-rigid prosthetic materials, focusing on safety outcomes.