Poland’s syndrome

Poland’s syndrome is a sporadic, congenital thoracic deformity, mostly unilateral with a wide spectrum of presentation. According to the vascular theory, most likely the syndrome is caused by a defect of blood supply in the subclavian system that causes hypoplasia of the subclavian artery or one of its branches during the sixth to seventh weeks of gestation. The incidence of Poland’s syndrome ranges from 1 in 7000 to 1 in 100,000. Male-to-female ratio is 2:1 to 3:1. The right side of the body was found to be involved in 60% of male patients. Diagnosis is clinical. The absence of the sternocostal head of the pectoralis major muscle is considered pathognomonic for the condition. It could be associated with other malformations. Surgical treatment for Poland syndrome is planned according to functional and aesthetic problems. Several surgical procedures have been reported to restore the thoracic asymmetry or deformity (from lipofilling to microsurgical flaps reconstruction).