[The surgical reconstruction of the chest wall using muscle flaps in patients with mediastinitis following heart operations].

An assessment is made of the results of plastic closure of the chest in cases presenting mediastinitis. The analysis covers nineteen patients with a history of mediastinitis following open-heart surgery, treated by the same method of plastic reconstruction of the chest. The technique of plastic closure of the chest using a rotation muscle flap (pectoralis and right rectus abdominis muscles) is described.