Objective To investigate the application of anterior serratus branch of thoracodorsal vessel in repairing chest wall defect. Methods Between October 2018 and March 2021, bilateral free lower abdominal flaps were used to repair large-area complex defects after chest wall tumor surgery in 23 patients. The patients were all female; the age ranged from 23 to 71 years, with an average age of 48.5 years. There were 11 cases of locally advanced breast cancer, 4 cases of phyllodes cell sarcoma, 3 cases of soft tissue sarcoma, 3 cases of recurrence of breast cancer, and 2 case of osteoradionecrosis. The size of secondary chest wall defect after tumor resection and wound debridement ranged from 20 cm×10 cm to 38 cm×14 cm, the size of flap ranged from 25 cm×12 cm to 38 cm×15 cm, the length of vascular pedicle was 9-12 cm (mean, 11.4 cm). Fourteen cases of simple soft tissue defects were repaired by flap transplantation; 5 cases of rib defects (<3 ribs) and soft tissue defects were repaired by simple mesh combined with flap transplantation; and 4 cases of full-thickness chest wall defect with large-scale rib defect (>3 ribs) were repaired by “mesh plus bone cement” rigid internal fixation combined with flap transplantation. The anterior serratus branch of thoracodorsal vessel was selected as the recipient vessel in all cases, the revascularization methods include 3 types: the proximal end of the anterior serratus branch plus other recipient vessels (13 cases), proximal and distal ends of anterior serratus branch (6 cases), and proximal ends of two anterior serratus branches (4 cases). ResultsThe main trunk of thoracodorsal vessels was preserved completely in 23 patients. All patients were followed up 10-18 months, with an average of 13.9 months. After operation, the flap survived completely, the shape of reconstructed chest wall was good, the texture was satisfactory, and there was no flap contracture deformation. There was only a linear scar left in the flap donor site, and the abdominal wall function was not significantly affected. There was no tumor recurrence during follow-up. Conclusion The anterior serratus branch of thoracodorsal vessel has a constant anatomy and causes little damage to the recipient site, so it can provide reliable blood supply for free flap transplantation.
Objectives To systematically review the efficacy of conservative treatment and open reduction with internal fixation for multiple rib fractures. Methods We searched WanFang Data, CNKI, VIP, PubMed, EMbase, The Cochrane Library and Web of Science from inception to December 2017 to collect studies on conservative treatment and open reduction with internal fixation for multiple rib fractures. Two reviewers independently screened literature, extracted data, and assessed the risk of bias of included studies. RevMan 5.3 software was used for meta-analysis. Results A total of 16 studies were included, involving 1 374 patients, 723 patients in the surgical group and 651 patients in the conservative group. The meta-analysis showed that the length of stay in the ICU (MD=–3.41, 95%CI –4.92 to –2.43, P<0.000 01), total length of stay (MD=–7.60, 95 %CI–10.67 to–4.53,P<0.000 01), incidence of pulmonary arylene (RR=0.40, 95%CI 0.29 to 0.54,P<0.000 01), incidence of lung infections (RR=0.43, 95%CI 0.30 to 0.61,P<0.000 01), and incidence of chest wall malformation (RR=0.05, 95%CI 0.03 to 0.11,P<0. 0.000 01) in the surgical group were superior to the conservative group. Conclusions Compared with conservative treatment, open reduction with internal fixation can significantly improve the recovery time of patients with multiple rib fractures, reduce hospitalization time, the incidence of perioperative complications, and significantly enhance the prognosis of patients, which is more conducive to the rehabilitation of patients.
Abstract： Objective To summarize the application experience of Gore-Tex patch in clinical chest wall reconstruction. Methods A retrospective analysis was performed in 33 patients who underwent chest wall reconstruction using Gore-Tex patch from January 2001 to December 2010 in Shanghai Changhai Hospital, Second Military Medical University. There were 19 men and 14 women, ranging in age from 20 to 73 years with a median age of 45.7 years. The surgical strategies included choosing different incisions according to tumor location and size, and preserving normal chest wall soft tissue as much as possible during surgery. Gore-Tex patch was used to reconstruct the huge chest wall defect, and covered by transferred muscle flaps. Results All the 33 patients underwent surgical reconstruction successfully and there was no perioperative death. Complete tumor resection was performed in all the patients, including 25 patients with malignant tumor and 8 patients with benign tumor. The diameter of the resected tumors ranged from 8 to 20 cm. All the patients were followed up from 5 to 60 months, except that 3 patients （9.09%） were lost during follow-up. There was no rejection response, abnormal breathing and foreign body sensation during follow-up. The infection incidence was 3%（1/33）. Conclusion Gore-Tex patch is a safe and effective material for chest wall reconstruction due to its excellent biocompatibility. Appropriate selection of muscle flap for covering Gore-Tex patch can reduce postoperative complications.
Objective To evaluate the application value of repairing the defects of the chest wall with the thoracico-abdominal skin flap and the muscle flap of the musculus rectus abdominis. Methods From January 2002 to June 2005, five patients with defects in the chest wall underwent the prothesis with the thoracico-abdominal skin flap and the muscle flap of the musculus rectus abdominis under general anesthesia. Focal cleaning was performed first; then, the skin flap was designed and taken (15 cm ×10 cm); and finally, the defects of the chest wall were repaired with the muscle flap of the musculus rectus abdominis. Results Of the 5patients, 4 had the flap healing by the first intention, and 1 had the delayed healing, with no complication. The skin flap had a good appearance, without edema orpigmentation. The X-ray examination showed that the shadow of the sternal sequestrum disappeared. There was no recurrence or complication during the follow-upfor 1-3 years (average, 18 mon). Conclusion The repairing of the defects in the chest wall with the thoracico-abdominal skin flap and the muscle flap of the musculus rectus abdominis is a simple and effective surgical treatment for defects of the chest wall around the sternum, and this kind of treatment is worth applying extensively in clinical practice.
Regardless of the cause of the chest wall defect, especially the extensive chest wall defect, if it cannot be effectively repaired and reconstructed, it may cause physiological and pathological changes such as chest wall softening, respiratory abnormalities and mediastinal oscillations. The main factors affecting the repair and reconstruction of the chest wall are the choice of reconstruction methods and materials. With the increasing understanding of chest wall defects, advances in reconstructive surgery techniques and the development of reconstructed materials, it has become possible to reconstruct many extensive chest wall defects that were previously impossible to complete. This article reviews the characteristics of chest wall defects, methods of repair, and current status and progress of reconstructed materials.
Surgical management of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) invading chest wall is the combination of pulmonary resection, lymphadenectomy and chest wall resection and reconstruction. Hitherto the surgical procedures include combination of thoracotomy and video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS), thoracotomy, and VATS. The result of the surgery leads to a defect in the chest wall. Therefore, the requirements of the technique and material are relatively high with no consensual standard. This review describes the definitions, indications, materials, prognostic factors, and recent progress in surgical techniques.
