Latissimus Dorsi Muscle-Flap Over Gore-Tex Patch for Coverage of Large Thoracic Defects in Paediatric Ewing Sarcoma

Primary rib involvement accounts for 16%, of paediatric Ewing sarcoma (ES). Neo-adjuvant chemotherapy and surgical tumor resection may leave large thoracic wall defects requiring complex reconstruction in a growing individual. We report our experience in three children aged 3, 10, and 12 years, in whom single-stage resection and reconstruction were performed using a Gore-Tex Dualmesh patch, covered by a latissimus dorsi rotation flap harvested in continuity with the thoracolumbar facscia. The youngest patient also had a vertical expandable prosthetic titanium rib (VEPTR) anchored to help prevent subsequent scoliosis throughout growth. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2009;52:679-681. (C) 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.