Unilateral Chest Wall Hypoplasia and Ipsilateral Upper Limb Anomalies

Figure 1

Poland syndrome a) Computed tomography of the chest (Figure a) incidentally revealed absence of the left pectoralis major and minor muscles (arrow) accompanied by chest wall deformity. b) Physical examination confirmed hypoplasia of the left chest wall as well as ipsilateral hypoplasia of the latissimus dorsi and deltoid. The left upper limb was slender and exhibited muscular underdevelopment, with associated finger contractures.

A 49-year-old male presented with cough and low-grade fever. Laboratory tests revealed leukocytosis. Chest CT (Figure a) ), performed for symptom evaluation, incidentally demonstrated absence of the left pectoralis major and minor muscles (arrow) with chest wall deformity, suggesting Poland syndrome. Physical examination (Figure b) confirmed hypoplasia of the left chest wall as well as ipsilateral hypoplasia of the latissimus dorsi and deltoid muscles. The left upper limb was slender with muscular underdevelopment and finger contractures, but a comprehensive examination showed no evidence of other independent congenital malformations. The diagnosis was delayed due to mild symptoms and a prior misdiagnosis of poliomyelitis in childhood. Given the patient’s age and absence of functional impairment, surgical intervention was not indicated. Poland syndrome is a rare congenital disorder characterized by unilateral chest wall hypoplasia and ipsilateral upper limb anomalies, with strong male predominance and an incidence of approximately 1:30 000. Treatment focuses on surgical correction of significant deformities.

Binglin Lai, Medical Imaging Center, Ganzhou People‘s Hospital, China, [e-mail]

Conflict of interest statement: The author states that no conflict of interest exists.

Translated from the original German by Christine Rye.

Cite this as: Lai B: Unilateral chest wall hypoplasia and ipsilateral upper limb anomalies. Dtsch Arztebl Int 2026; 123: 302a. DOI: 10.3238/arztebl.m2026.0028