Treatment of Necrotic Infection on the Anterior Chest Wall Secondary to Mastectomy and Postoperative Radiotherapy by the Application of Omentum and Mesh Skin Grafting: Report of a Case

We report herein the case of a patient who initially underwent right radical mastectomy for breast carcinoma in 1988, followed by left breast-conserving surgery in 1997. On both occasions she was given postoperative radiation therapy of 50 Gy. Repeated dressings and the administration of antibiotics failed to heal ulcerative infected lesions that had formed on the anterior chest wall in early 1998. In 1999, the sternum and surrounding tissue were debrided and the anterior chest wall was reconstructed by omentum transposition and mesh skin grafting. The patient is currently well and alive without any evidence of recurrence of either infection or breast cancer. Received: March 7, 2001 / Accepted: September 11, 2001