title: Chondrosarcoma from the sternum: reconstruction with titanium mesh and a transverse rectus abdominis myocutaneous flap after subtotal sternal excision.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Chondrosarcoma arising from the sternum is extremely rare and is often untreatable. Removal of the sternum for malignant tumor results in large defects in bone and soft tissue, causing deformity and paradoxical movement of the chest wall and making subsequent repair of the thorax very important. We report a very rare patient with a chondrosarcoma of the sternum who underwent case chest wall resection, followed by reconstruction using a titanium mesh covered with a transverse rectus abdominis myocutaneous (TRAM) flap.
  
  
  METHODS
  A 63-year-old man was referred to our hospital with progressively enlarged swelling of his anterior chest wall. Physical examination showed a 2.5×2.0 cm mass fixed to the sternum, which was diagnosed as a chondrosarcoma based on clinical findings, imaging characteristics and incision biopsy results. The patient underwent a subtotal sternal and chest wall resection to remove the tumor, followed by reconstruction with a titanium mesh and a TRAM flap. There were no complications associated with surgery.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We report an extremely rare case of a patient who underwent subtotal sternal resection, followed by reconstruction, for a large chondrosarcoma. The elasticity and rigidity provided by the titanium mesh and the complete coverage of the surgical wound by a TRAM flap suggest that these procedures may be useful in reconstructing large defects in the chest wall.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazutaka
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Koto
authors.forename: Tomoya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sakabe
authors.forename: Naoyuki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Horie
authors.forename: Kazuteru
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ryu
authors.forename: Hiroaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Murata
authors.forename: Shinichiro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.forename: Toshihiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ishida
authors.forename: Eiichi
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Konishi
authors.forename: Toshikazu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kubo
mesh_terms: D002813:Chondrosarcoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011859:Radiography; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D017568:Rectus Abdominis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D013249:Sternum / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D013524:Surgical Flaps; D013526:Surgical Mesh; D014025:Titanium / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D014025:Titanium