INTRODUCTION Chest wall deformities/defects and chest wall resections, as well as complex rib fractures require reconstruction with various prosthetic materials to ensure the basic functions of the chest wall. Titanium provides many features that make it an ideal material for this surgery. The aim is to present our initial results with this material in several diseases. MATERIAL AND METHODS F...

The aim of the investigation was the optimization of chest ultrasound technique in the diagnosis of diffuse-nodular pleural mesotheliomas, development and systematization of their ultrasound semiotics. Materials and Methods. We studied the ultrasonic picture of 32 mesotheliomas (31 malignant), among them 30 — diffuse-nodular, 2 — focal. Results. There were developed the assessment criteria of d...

BACKGROUND The effect of chest wall tumours on chest wall mechanics is uncertain even less is known about the effects of resection and reconstruction. Our aim is to study how chest wall mechanics are altered in chest wall sarcoma and to determine the effect of chest wall reconstruction on chest wall kinetics. CASE PRESENTATION Using Optoelectronic Plethysmography (OEP), total and regional che...

To the Editor : Pectus excavatum is the most common chest wall deformity, affecting 1 in 400 live births in the United States (1). It occurs commonly in Caucasian males, and is characterized by a depression of the anterior chest wall and sternum resulting in compromised cardiac and respiratory function (2, 3). Genetic factors appear to play a part (4, 5). The CS1 domain of the aggrecan (ACAN) g...

The author presents three decades of experience in the management of anterior chest wall deformities. During this period more than 800 operations were performed on patients with pectus excavatum and carinatum. In this series, there was no death and serious complications were rare. The author believes that the principles on which surgical treatment of pectus excavatum should be based are as foll...

Congenital or developmental deformities of the chest rarely cause severe functional problems in the manner of larger anomalies of the limbs. Poland syndrome is known as a variety of associated anomalies centered on the trunk and upper limbs. The authors report the case of a 28-year-old female with absence of the pectoralis major muscle and depression of the left anterior thoracic wall (sunken c...

The suspicion that pulmonary function in general and pulmonary compliance in particular might be disturbed by hyperkinetic pulmonary hypertension (increased pulmonary flow in the presence of increased pulmonary arterial pressure) arose from a study of the incidence of chest deformities in congenital heart disease (Davies, 1959). It was then observed that hyperkinetic pulmonary hypertension was ...

Primary chest wall tumours are very rare. Chondrosarcoma is the most common tumour arising from the chest wall. We describe the occurrence of a slow-growing chondrosarcoma arising from the anterior chest wall in a 35-year-old male patient. The tumour was resected successfully and chest wall was reconstucted with prolene mesh and muscle flap. The patient was discharged uneventfully without any r...

Open techniques represent a valid repair option for severe asymmetric pectus excavatum in adults. The use of metal supports is recommended to reduce the risk of recurrence. A wide variety of metal supports have been proposed, with pre-, trans- or retrosternal fixation. A novel open technique using titanium bars fixed to the ribs with clips has been recently introduced (STRATOS™ system) for ches...