ABSTRACT
Pleural defects are often encountered in the setting of oncological surgery, trauma, infection, and radiation injury of the chest wall (1-7). Proper reconstructive management of these defects is essential to achieving the best possible functional outcome. In many cases, it is the difference between patients returning to their preoperative functional status and entering a long-term compromised state. Pleural defects may require reconstruction as an isolated defect, or as a portion of am uch larger defect, such as a full-thickness defect of the chest wall. This chapter outlines the types of pleural defects encountered and proposes a reconstructive approach to these defects that includes local and distant reconstructive options.
