Throughout her childhood, Ms. L.T. P (30 years old) lived and developed normally like many peers. However, a turning point appeared when she entered puberty, a period when the female body had many obvious changes. While her left breast developed normally, her right breast was abnormally flat.
Through in-depth examination, doctors determined that she had Poland's syndrome, a rare congenital defect, characterized by a deficiency of the sternum and ribs of the large thoracic muscles. The incidence of this syndrome is only about 1/36,000 to 1/50,000 newborns, of which women are less common than men, with a difference of 2:1 to 3:1.
Ms. P. shared that this defect made her live in inferiority for 30 years, not daring to share with anyone and even never thinking about getting married.
At Minh Anh International Hospital, the examination results showed that her condition was quite complicated: lacking large breast muscles, poorly developed mammary gland tissue, small and pushed-up ducts, especially the skin on the right chest was tense and stiff. The biggest challenge for the surgical team was the clear difference between the two sides, one side developing normally, and the other side almost without a cavity.
Specialist Doctor Ha Phuong Nam, Deputy Head of the Department of Plastic Surgery, Minh Anh International Hospital, said that the team has developed a two-stage treatment regimen. The first phase is placing small breast implants to gradually stretch the skin, reduce pressure and limit complications. After 6 months, when the skin reaches the necessary elasticity, the patient is replaced with larger breast implants to create balance.
During the surgery, doctors recorded that the thoracic cavity had almost no glandular tissue and fat, only ribs and thin skin, requiring high-precision dissection techniques. After two interventions, the results were as expected, helping Ms. P. regain confidence.
According to Dr. Nam, the common cause of Poland's syndrome is believed to be underclavial artery abnormalities in the embryonic stage, reducing chest irrigation.
Experts believe that congenital defects such as Poland's syndrome can be completely detected and effectively intervened if diagnosed early, thanks to the support of modern techniques such as CT, MRI.
