Thoracic wall defect repair and reconstruction

Large chest wall defects after chest wall trauma or chest wall tumor resection require repair and reconstruction of the chest wall. Bone chest wall defects of 6cm × 6cm or more require chest wall reconstruction. Autogenous tissues are generally available. If necessary, metal scaffolds are used. Large-area defects (10cm × 10cm or more) are ideal for sandwich repair. Island skin and soft tissue defects can be repaired using islands. Latissimus dorsi muscle flap and breast split flap.