Reconstruction of the anterior chest wall with a 3-dimensionally printed biodynamic prosthesis

Abstract Chest wall reconstructions, mainly secondary to surgical treatment of oncologic disease or trauma, still represent a challenge for chest surgeons. No consensus exists on the materials or prostheses to be used. Thus, a wide variety of methods and materials are available for chest wall reconstruction and the choice generally depends on the location and size of the defect to be covered. Up to this day, most prostheses provide the chest wall with the necessary hardness and stability to protect inner organs; however, they restrict normal respiratory movements because of their rigidity. Moreover, there is the problem of finding good anchor points, since it is the patient who has to adapt to the prosthesis and exact adjustment is usually not possible. Designing personalized prostheses with three-dimensional technology may be a solution to this problem. Up to our knowledge, here we present the first case of complete reconstruction of the anterior chest wall with a patient-tailored flexible prosthesis designed with 3D technology, which did not restrict respiratory movements and allowed for normal respiratory function.