The authors discuss the development of their approach to the repair of full-thickness chest wall resection based on a series of twenty-two patients operated between 1967 and 1989. The defect resulting from resection of all tissue planes, either for breast in situ, recurrences, radiation lesions or primary tumours, raises difficult problems. Mammary or cutaneous autoplasties, performed during the early years, have become less frequent, essentially because of the development of musculo-cutaneous flaps (pectoralis major, rectus abdominis, latissimus dorsi) which provide global anatomical and functional repair. The greater omentum island flap, used since 1974, still occupies an important place because of its plastic and trophic qualities in irradiated regions. When chest wall rigidity is compromised, Mersilene patch remains the material of choice. The quality of the results obtained in terms of comfort justifies the use of this major surgery which is now well defined.