The Institute of Chest Wall Surgery
Surgery for A 22-year-old Male Patient with Severe Secondary Chest Wall Deformity
Medical History
The patient, a 22-year-old male, suffered from pneumonia when he was 5 year-old, which later developed into a right chest wall abscess. After six months of treatment, the abscess cleared up, and the patient has not experienced any significant symptoms since then. However, his right chest wall gradually sank, and almost stopped developing. Meanwhile, his left chest wall gradually enlarged and became noticeably deformed, leading to severe scoliosis. In the past two years, the patient has frequently experienced breathing difficulty, chest tightness, and palpitations, which become more pronounced after physical activity.
Preoperative Examination
The chest wall was severely deformed, with the left side protruding both forward and backward, and the development of the right side halted with pronounced scoliosis. Meanwhile, the heart and lungs were severely compressed.
Surgical Overview
Initially, MatrixRIBs were used to reconstruct the right sunken chest wall. Following that, bars were used to correct deformities on both sides of the chest. The operation was smooth, involving only 50 ml of blood loss, and no complications occurred. After the surgery, the malformations were corrected, and the chest wall appearance returned to normal.
