Sternal Reconstruction With Non-Rigid Biologic Mesh Overlay.
Sora Ely1, Rebecca C Gologorsky1, Benjamin M Hornik2
1UCSF East Bay, Highland Hospital, Oakland, California; Department of General Surgery, Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center, Oakland, California.
The Annals of Thoracic Surgery
|October 4, 2019
Summary
Reconstructing large sternal defects after cancer surgery using biologic mesh offers a promising alternative to rigid implants. This innovative approach avoids foreign body complications and preserves native flexibility, showing excellent outcomes in a recent case study.
Area of Science:
- Surgical reconstruction
- Biomaterials in medicine
- Thoracic surgery
Background:
- Sternal defects require reconstruction for function and quality of life.
- Traditional rigid prostheses carry risks like infection and loss of bone flexibility.
- Biologic mesh is used for chest wall but not sternal reconstruction.
Observation:
- A large sternal defect resulted from chondrosarcoma resection.
- The defect was reconstructed using porcine acellular dermal matrix and soft tissue flaps.
- No rigid component was used in the reconstruction.
Findings:
- The patient experienced an excellent outcome after 2 years of follow-up.
- Porcine acellular dermal matrix facilitated sternal reconstruction without rigid implants.
- This method avoided complications associated with synthetic prostheses.
Implications:
- Biologic mesh offers a viable, less invasive alternative for sternal defect reconstruction.
- This technique may improve patient quality of life by avoiding foreign body complications.
- Further research into biologic mesh for sternal reconstruction is warranted.
