[Congenital breast deformity is a serious handicap. An important indication for breast reconstruction with silicone implants].

Severe developmental breast deformities cause deep psychological problems in young women and disturb their social relations. New techniques and traditional breast implants, or the combined expander implants permitting gradual augmentation of a small breast, yield results which afford such young women an opportunity of living normal lives. Of 326 applicants for corrective breast surgery, 26 were found to have developmental breast deformities: thoracic deformity (n = 4), scoliosis (n = 1), Amazon syndrome (unilateral amastia or hypoplasia; n = 5), other breast asymmetries (n = 5), or tubular/tuberous deformity, unilaterally (n = 5) or bilaterally (n = 7) (one patient had both tubular deformity and Amazon syndrome). In the 14-20-year-old age group (n = 11), breast correction took the form of conventional implants in two cases, and combined expander implants in six cases, the corresponding figures in the 21-62-year-old age group (n = 15) being eight and five cases, respectively. Only implants were used in 10 cases, and different combinations of nipple/areolar mammoplasty, mastopexy and reduction in 16 cases. Volume symmetry was good in 24 cases and acceptable in two, and breast shape good in 19 cases, acceptable in five cases, but still asymmetrical in the remaining two cases as the patients declined contralateral ptotic breast correction. Nipple/areolar sensitivity was normal and scars good or acceptable in all cases. One patient developed capsular contraction, and another a mild form of striae. Duration of follow-up is over two years in 22 cases.