[Postoperative reconstruction of chest wall using polyglycolic acid mesh--a case report]

A 75-year-old male with infected chest wall tumor was treated with en-block resection of the tumor including the second and third ribs, part of the M. pectoralis major, pleura and pulmonary parenchyma. As the wound was infected, the defect of the chest wall was reconstructed leaving a muscle pedicle of the pectoralis major and polyglycolic acid mesh, 9.0 x 8.5 cm in area. The resected tumor was 9.0 x 8.0 x 4.0 cm in size, 170 gr in weight and histopathologically poorly or moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma. The primary lesion of the tumor was unknown in spite of investigations of the whole body. The postoperative course was uneventful, and the wound was completely healed within 3 weeks. This mesh material was therefore considered to be useful for reconstruction of the chest wall especially in the infected region.