ABSTRACT
I. PRESENTING PROBLEM Chest wall defects typically occur in the context of cancer, irradiation, infection, or trauma. Conditions requiring reconstruction include recurrent or locally invasive breast cancer, primary chest wall tumors, postradiation necrosis and ulceration, and poststernotomy mediastinitis with wound dehiscence. Goals of the reconstruction include skin and soft tissue coverage, restoration of chest wall stability, and maintenance of pulmonary function (l).
