Chest-wall deformity following soft-tissue expansion for breast reconstruction

We have presented a case in which the presumed pressure effects of tissue expansion caused multiple nondisplaced rib fractures of the anterior thorax in a patient undergoing breast reconstruction. Although the deformity was severe, a satisfactory cosmetic result was obtained and there have been no clinically significant sequelae during a 1-year follow-up period. The degree of bony deformation was most likely enhanced by the combination of this patient's severe osteoporosis, chronic steroid use, and peripheral vascular disease. The fragility and ease of fracture in the bones of osteoporotic postmenopausal females and the long-term effects of steroids on tissues is well known. We believe this observation to be important, since many reconstructed patients are postmenopausal and have variable degrees of osteoporosis. Many undergo adjuvant chemotherapy with steroids and antihormonal agents, and this group of women may therefore be at a greater risk for the occurrence of pressure deformities. The incidence and long-term significance of such deformities are not known. The reconstructive surgeon should be alert to the possibility of this phenomenon occurring as a result of tissue expansion in the patient with severe osteoporosis, peripheral vascular disease, or chronic steroid use.