Treatment of Poland's Breast Deformity Using a Superior
Gluteal Artery Preforator Flap.
Gary Rosenbaum, MD, and
Robert J. Allen, MD.
Department of Plastic Surgery, Louisiana State University
Medical Center, New Orleans.
The chest deformity of Poland's syndrome ranges from a paucity
of breast tissue to an absence of rib and accompanying musculature.
The majority of patients suffer more from the aesthetic appearance
of the breast than from a functional handicap of the absent
soft tissue.
Numerous approaches have been advocated for reconstruction
of the breast mound and obliteration of the subclavicular
hollow. These include implants, prosthetics, combination muscle
flap and implant procedures, and muscle free flaps. Limited
available soft tissue, the potential for foreign body complications,
or loss of muscle function restricts these modalities.
A perforator free flap based on the superior gluteal artery
was used for two patients with Poland's syndrome as a new
procedure to reconstruct the hypoplastic or absent breast.
The internal mammary vessels are used as recipient vessels.
There is minimal donor defect with the scar hidden in the
panty line. No muscle is sacrificed, there is no need for
prosthetics, and the feel and contour of the donor tissue
is similar to breast tissue. This provides the patient with
a long-lasting autogenous reconstructive procedure with minimal
chance for long-term complications.
Southern Medical Journal Volume
88, Number 10, October 1995
