[Options for reconstructive surgery of the thoracic wall]

The integrity of the thoracic wall and therefore the protection of the thoracic organs is paramount for survival. This integrity can be compromised by various factors, be it tumours, wound-healing disorders or injuries. An adequate surgical therapy for these entities often requires (partial) resections of the thoracic wall resulting in a loss of its protective function. A safe and timely reconstruction of the thoracic wall is therefore mandatory and can be achieved by means of reconstructive procedures. This article therefore aims to illustrate such reconstructive procedures utilising our own clinical cases while also giving a review of the literature in order to construct an algorithm for the reconstruction procedure.