Necessity of pleura repair in the chest wall reconstruction with three-dimensional printed titanium implant

The main indications for chest wall reconstruction include malignancies (primary or metastatic), infections, radiation-induced necrosis, trauma and herniation (1). There are few studies on the application of bioprosthetic materials in chest wall reconstruction. Bioprosthetic materials mainly include bovine pericardial patch, porcine mesenteric patch and artificial skin patch, which are less toxic and have no effect on cell activity (2,3). However, chest wall reconstruction using bioprosthetic materials often results in insufficient tensile strength to protect intra-thoracic organs and long-term deterioration of lung elasticity. Thus, it is important to reconstruct chest wall using rigid implants for extensive chest wall defects in clinical practice (4)