POLAND'S SYNDROME

Replace your missing pectoral muscle.

Some men suffer a condition knows as Poland’s Syndrome where a large portion of the pectoralis muscle, usually the sternal portion, and sometimes the surrounding muscles, are congenitally absent. It is not unusual to also see the nipple small or at times completely absent. For these conditions, a custom made silicone chest implant is used to replace the absent pectoralis major muscle and improve the chest wall deformity. For some patients, the latissimus dorsi muscle from the back is transferred to the chest area as the replacement muscle.

Poland’s Syndrome is occasionally seen in women. In these cases the deformity extends also to the breast with various degrees of under developed breast and nipple. The options for reconstruction include a latissimus dorsi flap together with an overlying skin from the back. This allows for reconstruction of the breast as well as replacement of the absent muscle. An implant may also be needed depending on the degree of breast projection and size required to match the opposite breast. Options also exist for women to reconstruct the absent or under developed breast that are similar to breast reconstruction techniques.