Complications of Median Sternotomy: CT Findings

In heart surgery or surgery for mediastinal mass, median sternotomy is the most common surgical approach. Thefrequency of complications after sternotomy is very low (0.5%-5%), but once a complication develops, the high riskinvolved results in high mortality; early detection and treatment are thus essential. In determining the presenceand extent of complications after sternotomy, chest radiography and clinical findings are of limited usefulness,though for detecting the existence of complications and evaluating the extent of lesions, CT is very useful. Weillustrate the clinical characteristics and CT findings of complications after median sternotomy.