Repair of large chest wall defects using pedicle flaps.

Three cases of chest wall resection illustrate the use of three different full thickness pedicle flaps which can be used to cover almost any area of the anterior chest wall. The medially based acromiothoracic flap was swung inferiorly to cover a lateral defect. Laterally based abdominal wall and axillary flaps were used to cover more medial defects. In case III bilateral axillary flaps were necessary to cover a huge central defect after resection of the anterior sternum and anterior cartilages of seven ribs for a sebaceous carcinoma.