Outcomes of Thoracic Wall Resections and Reconstructions

Objectives: Pain is a pathological condition that affects the individual both in terms of health and socioeconomic aspects. Non-cardiac chest pain is a frequent symptom in patients admitted to the hospital. The aim of this study was to evaluate the surgical treatments and pathological results of chronic chest pain of unknown cause.
Methods: In this study, patients admitted to the Gaziantep City Hospital Department of Thoracic Surgery with complaints of chest pain between October 2023 and December 2024 were retrospectively examined. Patients older than 18 years of age, with normal radiological examinations, rib pain lasting at least 1 year, unresponsive to drug therapy and intercostal neurolytic treatments, and treated surgically were included. The visual analog scale (VAS) was used to quantify pain.
Results: A total of 69 patients were analyzed retrospectively. Of the patients, 50.7% were male and 49.3% were female. The mean age was 30.6 (19–55) years. According to the VAS score, the mean pain severity was 6.28. No pathological findings were detected radiologically or scintigraphically in 89%–90% of the patients. Pathology results included benign lesions, chronic inflammation, enchondroma, chondroma, chondrosarcoma, osteoma, osteomyelitis, and malignant mesenchymal tumor. In the first postoperative month, 81.1% of the patients had no complaints of pain, while 15.9% reported mild pain.
Conclusion: Even if radiological and scintigraphic examinations are normal, pain may be caused by an underlying disease. In chronic rib pain, pain control can be achieved with surgical treatment despite unsuccessful analgesic therapies.

Keywords: Pain, reconstruction, resection, thorax, VAS