OBJECTIVES The postoperative course following sternectomy for cancer carries significant morbidity due to paradoxical breathing, pulmonary infections and infectious complications. The purpose of this report is to evaluate the outcomes in patients undergoing sternal reconstruction using an innovative titanium rib bridge system (STRATOS). METHODS From 2008 to 2011, 24 patients underwent sternec...

Any mass on the chest wall may not always be the primary local pathology. A case of lymphoma with an aggressive course may involve the sternum through local invasion and can mimic a chest wall tumour. A 15-year-old boy with mediastinal lymphoma presented with a sternal mass. Partial sternectomy with replacement by methyl methacrylate prosthesis was performed.

BACKGROUND Primary malignant or metastatic sternal tumors are uncommon. A subtotal or total sternectomy can offer a radical form of treatment. The issue is to restore the structural integrity of the chest wall. CASE PRESENTATION We report the implantation of an individualized 3D-printed titanium sternum in a patient with a sternal tumor. CONCLUSIONS We believe that tridimensional print tech...

Sternal infection has become a rare but challenging problem with significant mortality and morbidity rates since the introduction of sternotomy. Reported rates of mediastinal and sternal infection range from 0.4% to 5%. The ideal reconstruction after sternal debridement is still controversial. Different methods, such as debridement and open packing with continuous antibiotic irrigation, or ster...

background: there has been increasing trend towards surgical treatment of metastases across different cancer types, including breast cancer, in the recent decade. single metastasis of breast cancer to sternum is a rare situation. we present a case of sternectomy for metastasis from breast cancer. case presentation: a 58-year-old woman with a history of modified radical mastectomy for breast can...

The case history of a 67-year-old man who underwent a subtotal sternectomy for a tumour of the manubrium and left clavicle is reported. Histological examination revealed a highly undifferentiated metastatic carcinoma: the original tumour was not discovered but the patient was in good condition 10 months after operation. Adequate replacement and stabilization of the chest wall was obtained with ...