Poland Syndrome
Conveniently located to serve the areas of West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Los Angeles and Pasadena, CA
Poland Syndrome is a very rare congenital condition more commonly seen in men than in women and is characterized by the partial or complete absence of the pectoralis major muscle on only one side of the chest wall: more commonly, the right side. The missing portion is most often the large or central and inferior part of the sternal attachment of the musculature but may also include the surrounding muscles. In some patients, it is not unusual for the nipple to be disproportionately small, higher in position, or even entirely absent.
If you are a man with Poland Syndrome, we can restore the natural appearance of your chest. The most straightforward procedure we use to correct the chest wall is by placing a custom-made silicone implant where the pectoralis major muscle would be. Patients present with varying degrees of muscle absence and associated rib irregularities. Depending on your condition, physical features, and health status, we can customize the many options available to ensure your results are optimized for the best symmetry. For example, we may find that fat grafting alone may be adequate to restore symmetry, or transferring the latissimus dorsi muscle from the back to replace the chest muscle would be preferable to using a custom-made silicone implant.
If you are a woman with Poland Syndrome, in addition to the varying degrees of the pectoral muscle absence as seen in men, it often affects the development of the breast and nipple on the same side as the pectoral muscle issues. We have treated patients with a range of presentations: from breast size and shape asymmetry to the complete absence of breast tissue. The surgical methods we use to construct breasts for women with Poland Syndrome are similar to the methods used for breast reconstruction. We customize the technique to achieve the best symmetry and contour. Some of the reconstructive options include the use of a tissue expander first as a staged reconstruction with a later exchange to a breast implant. Fat grafting to the chest and breast area is often used if fat donor sites are available to enhance the chest wall and breast symmetry.
Sometimes a latissimus dorsi muscle and skin from the back and a breast implant are used to create the breast mound and symmetry as a single-stage reconstruction. We strive to achieve the best possible symmetry with the opposite breast.